8-Year-Old Boy Airlifted Off Cruise Ship Returns for Heartwarming Reunion with Crew on His Birthday: WATCH

An eight-year-old boy had a sweet gathering waiting for him on his birthday!

On Saturday, September 28, Daniel Jiang was reunited with the crew of the Princess Cruise ship from which he was airlifted following a medical emergency four days earlier.

According to a Princess Cruise Line spokesperson, the young man was “cleared to return to his family and continue his cruise to Hawaii” after undergoing appendectomy.

United States Coast Guard

The family re-boarded the ship in Los Angeles on Daniel’s birthday, where they received a “warm and enthusiastic welcome” from the crew.

In a video shared with PEOPLE, the boy is shown walking onto a boat with two family members while holding a tan dinosaur stuffed animal.

As he entered the vessel, a crew member cheered him on. Daniel then went through security where he was met by several crew members, who presented him with flowers and sang “Happy Birthday!” to celebrate a special occasion.

Last week, the US Coast Guard was called in to assist Daniel during the medical emergency.

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Daniel and his family reunited with crew members on the ‘Royal Princess’.

Courtesy of Princess Cruises

The ship was about 20 miles west of Eureka, Calif., when Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchdogs were notified of the emergency around 7 a.m. local time, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.

Rescuers were informed that “an 8-year-old passenger on the plane was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed medical attention,” the statement said.

The rescue was carried out by helicopter about an hour later.

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Courtesy of Princess Cruises

Video footage of the rescue mission shows a flight crew member helping Daniel into a large metal rescue basket before he was lifted into the helicopter. The clip then shows what appears to be two more members of his family being raised.

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Daniel’s mother, Nicole Jiang, later recounted the harrowing experience during an interview with Good morning America on Thursday 26.09.

“The doctor on the cruise said that the situation is very serious [much an] emergency … Daniel got [a] very high temperature and situation [grew] worse and worse,” she told the newspaper.

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Source: HIS Education