Heart-warming photo of US woman helping her 93-year-old father witness solar eclipse goes viral

A photo that shows Hedy Morrison, from the US city of Nashville, tilting her dying father's wheelchair backward so that he can witness the solar eclipse has gone viral. It was posted on Facebook by Hedy's daughter Molly Morrison and shows the elderly man watching the sky with his head resting on his daughter's chest.

"There were four generations of us there watching. It was a really special moment. I'm so thrilled my dad was alive long enough to see his first total eclipse ever," the 66-year-old mother of five said.

Hedy's father turned 93 on 17 August, a milestone that his doctors and caretakers didn't think he would reach considering he had a stroke that made him incapable of speech four years ago.

"At 93 years and 4 days, he witnessed his eclipse. It was unbelievable. It was pretty special he got to see it and we got to see it together," the woman told ABC News. Hedy thinks it is now her turn to give back to her elderly father who took complete care of her when she needed it the most.

"Twenty years ago I lost my husband in a car accident and I had five children, and he took care of me for all those years", Hedy said, adding, "he hasn't been able to talk in four years but he's the most patient, sweet, loving man in the whole wide world".

Describing her mother, Molly said she is the "the most caring, selfless person I personally have ever known".

"She does so many amazing things for other people and rarely has time to do things for herself."

Hedy said witnessing the eclipse with her family was amazing. "It blew me away it really did. It was a neat thing to experience as a first for both of us."

The much-awaited total solar eclipse occurred on Monday (21 August) and was visible from coast-to-coast across the US. Astronomers now predict that the Earth will no longer have total solar eclipses in 600 million years.