Why This Family's Heartwarming Story Is Going Viral
Avery Gonzales
Updated on February 23, 2026
Last week, Twitter user Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) posted the tear-jerking story of how he came to be the father of six incredible kids in a thread that has now gone massively viral.
Back in March 2012, he met the love of his life in Arizona, while she was studying at Arizona State University and he was playing football for Mesa Community College.
Until today. But before I continue, I want to start from the beginning:
March 2012: My wife and I had met in Arizona while she was attending Arizona State University and I was playing football for Mesa Community College.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
After a year of dating, they got engaged. "I can't tell you enough how much I loved this woman and on the daily, thanked God for her and all she was," he wrote.
As time passed on, my wife eventually dated and after a year, decided that we wanted to be married. I can't tell you enough how much I loved this woman and on the daily, thanked God for her and all she was.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
On August 3rd, 2013, they got married in a beautiful ceremony in Utah, and began to plan their lives together, weaving dreams of the house they would live in and the family they would have.
August 3rd, 2013:
We got married here in Utah and I still can remember how amazing that day was. It was beautiful and the weather was just right for us. My heart was full and there was nothing more beautiful than seeing my wife in her wedding dress.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
But their dreams "were overshadowed by hospital visits" and he finally had to quit football in order to "take care of the love of [his] life." One day, the bad news came that he and his wife would probably never be able to have children of their own.
It seemed that our dreams of becoming a family were overshadowed with with hospital visits and I had to stop my pursuit of my football career to take care of the love of my life.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
They were both devastated.
"My heart plead to God and asked him that if it were in the cards, to just bless us with one child," he wrote. "There were nights where I felt completely hopeless and in addition to that, hearing my wife cry herself to sleep knowing that this was somehow her fault….No matter what I said, she would always apologize: "Alo….I'm so sorry I can't have kids. I'm sorry that I can't give you what we wanted. I'm just sorry for everything." There was nothing I could do or say to convince this wonderful woman that this wasn't her fault."
Their struggles to get pregnant began to cause a rift in their other relationships.
"We were close to accepting the fact that we may never have children…but with the announcements of our close friends being pregnant as well as our immediate family, the void became even bigger….and I eventually became jealous of their happiness. It got to the point that they were afraid to announce their pregnancies around us because of our current situation and did not want to be insensitive. We felt horrible for not being able to express how happy we were for them, but they knew deep down that we were hurting…"
They thought about becoming foster parents, but Alo had reservations.
"I'll admit at first, that I was very much against it because I wasn't sure how I felt about taking in a child I didn't birth. As harsh as it sounds, I was still bitter we had to go this route."
But his heart softened when he got a call from his brother, who said he'd found a family of three that had just been placed into state custody. He called his wife and they decided to take all three of them. But then his brother dropped another bombshell: apparently, the family of three was actually a family of six.
I called my brother and he then explained to me: "Man…you know what? I just found out that the 3 are actually a part of a family of 6…now I know that this seems like a bit of a reach, but I know that if anyone can do it, you and your wife can."
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
Now, six kids all at once is a lot to handle in any circumstance, but he and his wife decided they didn't want to separate the siblings and would take them all in. In March 2015, they welcomed all six of them into their home.
March 30th, 2015:
We took in this family of 6 and they looked like they were just as defeated as we were…and we were okay with that. All we we wanted to give them was the love we've been yearning to give our unborn children.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
At first, it was hard. Four of them "are special needs and although that didn't change how we loved them, it was pretty hard to understand their ways of thinking and how to raise their delicate lives. We read and experimented different [ways]…"
4 of the 6 are special needs and although that didn't change how we loved them, it was pretty hard to understand their ways of thinking and how to raise their delicate lives. We read and experimented different way, but what I loved most: My wife was getting her light back.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
But what made it all worthwhile was seeing his wife was "getting her light back." He cried every time she dropped the younger ones off at school and reminded them that "mommy" loved them very much.
I cried watching her pick up our younger ones and made sure they knew that "mom" loved them no matter what. She carried their load of what they missed out and replaced it with the love of her own…and dammit was it the most beautiful thing I had ever encountered.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
"She helped our teens understand the true meaning of hard work and dedication and that just because they had special needs, that didn't dictate how they would live the rest of their lives."
She helped our teens understand the true meaning of hard work and dedication and that just because they had special needs, that didn't dictate how they would live the rest of their lives.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
Three years later, they officially adopted all six of their children.
3 years later:
April 3rd 2018
We made it official and adopted these beautiful blessings. They took on my last name as Moli's.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
The photos from the happy day are absolutely heartwarming.
Pics cont.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
They all look so excited to officially be one big happy family.
They took on my last name as Moli's and even changed their names and incorporated names from my wife's side and they also took on Tongan names after my immediate family. 😭
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
Even the older ones.
Pics cont.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
"Our journey to get to this point was worth every ounce of what is left today: Love. Loving them regardless of their situation and history of where they came from," Alo wrote, before concluding the thread by encouraging anyone struggling with infertility to reach out and telling readers that he hopes their story brought people as much joy as it did to them.
Thank you for reading our story and we hope that it brought you as much happiness as it did with us.
— Alo Moli (@holy_moli88) July 11, 2018
For more moving stories like this one, check out The Incredible Story of a Long-Lost Family Meeting for the First Time.
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Diana Bruk Diana is a senior editor who writes about sex and relationships, modern dating trends, and health and wellness.Read moreFiled UnderFamily • Viral NewsRead This NextThe "American Bro" Is an International Embarrassment
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