This Dad Vowed to Dance Every Day Until His Son Leaves the NICU, and Now He's Going Viral

Chris Askew, a 42-year-old father of three and firefighter from Florida, recently became an internet sensation after vowing to dance on video for as long as his son was in the NICU. Opting to put his TikTok account to good use, Chris set out on his mission, managing to film himself dancing for 22 days straight as of Feb. 5.

As a dad of three, he knew he would need to do something to cheer his family up after his wife, Danielle, experienced a partial placental abruption — a dangerous condition in which the placenta detaches from the uterus — on Jan. 12 when she was 30 weeks along. Danielle ultimately ended up giving birth early to a son named Dylan, who weighed just over four pounds.

Currently, Dylan is recuperating in the NICU at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando, FL. And while having a child in the NICU can be terrifying for parents, Chris is trying to be the pillar of strength his family needs. "Dylan's had a couple of bad days, but for the most part it's been really positive," Chris told Today. "We just passed 21 days in the NICU, and we were two days in when I started my dancing. They haven't set an exact date when he'll be able to come home, but they're projecting maybe another two to three weeks."

In order to cheer his kids up, Chris filmed his first video while doing laundry in the Ronald McDonald House. When he woke up the following morning, he realized the video had gone viral. "I posted it and went to bed," he said. "I woke up and I had like 400,000 or 500,000 views. And then the messages started coming in — there's been an outpouring of support for my family, and it's also helping other people somehow," he said. "People are thanking me and sharing their NICU success stories ... it's helped some families who lost babies in the NICU get through a tough situation and smile. I figured as long as that's happening, I'd keep dancing."

Keep reading to get a look at his sweet project, which is lifting the spirits of his own kids, but also other parents who have or have had children in the NICU.