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How One Teen Saves Crying Cheerleader from Missing Her Military Dad

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What could have been a heartbreaking moment turned into a joyful experience one little girl will never forget. 

Nine-year-old Addie Rodriguez is a cheerleader who loves to cheer on football players on the field. But there was one routine she dreaded -- the one where the cheerleaders' fathers came out of the stands to lift them up on their shoulders. 

Rodriguez's dad was far from home doing Air Force training with his unit and would not be able to lift her up on his shoulders. 

When it came time for the routine, Rodriguez burst into tears as she watched her teammates with their dads. It was not much longer before Rodriguez felt herself being hoisted on someone else's shoulders. When she looked down she did not see her dad, but the smiling face of a teenage fan from the crowd. 

That smiling face belonged to Matthew Garcia, a high school senior who jumped out of the bleachers and carried Rodriguez on his shoulders. 

Garcia says he was happy to fill in for Rodriguez's dad. 

"Seeing her smile after the way she was crying, that probably made my day even more than hers, to be honest with you,'' Garcia told NBC's TODAY. "When Addie thanked me after the game, it was just really moving to me."

Garcia was not the only one who was moved. Rodriguez's mother's only response to this teen's kindness was tears.

"I just broke into tears when I realized what he was doing,'' Addie's mother, 25-year-old Alexis Perry-Rodriguez, told TODAY. "I couldn't even talk."

"(Addie) was kind of shocked and scared at first, but then when he knelt down to tell her, 'I'm going to pick you up, too.' She was really happy and thankful,'' Rodriguez said. "She said, 'He saved my life, mom!' He made her feel so good about herself."

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