When Jhoanna Martinez wished for more natural light, her dad’s surprising response became a touching reminder that love is often shown through actions
Credit: Jhoanna Martinez
NEED TO KNOW
- Nursing student Jhoanna Martinez asked if her bedroom could have more natural light after moving into a larger room in her family’s home
- Instead of installing a standard window, her dad surprised her by cutting a skylight into the ceiling, capturing the emotional moment on TikTok
- Martinez tells PEOPLE her father has always shown love through acts of service, from building her bedroom to taking care of projects for the entire family
Love doesn’t always arrive wrapped in a box. Sometimes, it comes pouring through the ceiling.
When 20-year-old nursing student Jhoanna Martinez shared a TikTok showing her father cutting a skylight into her bedroom after she mentioned wanting more natural light, viewers couldn’t get enough of the unexpectedly sweet gesture.
The video, captioned, “Youngest daughter & Bob the builder dad combo 🤭,” captured the moment sunlight flooded the room, revealing just how far one dad was willing to go to make his daughter happy.
@sweetheartttjo Youngest daughter & Bob the builder dad combo🤭
♬ Our House – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Martinez tells PEOPLE the room itself marked a new chapter for her family. While she’s always lived at home, both of her older siblings recently moved out, giving her the opportunity to move into the largest bedroom, which offered enough space for a desk while she finishes college.
“My old room was much smaller, and I didn’t have enough room for a desk, which is important since I’m a college student,” Martinez says. “I don’t plan on moving out until I’ve finished college, and I feel most comfortable living with my parents until after I graduate.”
As she settled into the new space, there was just one thing she hoped to change. Martinez has always loved natural light, explaining that darker rooms affect her mood, especially since she spends so much time studying.
She originally asked whether they could install a regular window, but her father had a different vision. “My dad decided a skylight would bring in the most light,” she says. “It ended up being exactly what I wanted.”
The moment he cut through the ceiling exceeded every expectation she had.
Credit: Jhoanna Martinez
“At first, I wasn’t sure how much light the skylight would actually bring in,” Martinez recalls. “But the moment my dad cut through the ceiling and sunlight immediately poured into the room, I was so excited. It completely transformed the space.”
Watching his daughter’s reaction became just as meaningful for him.
“Seeing how happy I was made him really happy too, and I think that’s what made the whole moment so special,” she says.
For Martinez, though, the skylight is simply the latest example of the way her father has always shown his love.
“I’ve always been a daddy’s girl,” she tells PEOPLE. “He tells me he loves me often, but I think his biggest love language is acts of service.”
She says he’s constantly finding something to build, repair or improve, whether it’s helping her mom with projects around the house, maintaining the yard, keeping up with her car or taking on new projects simply because he knows they’ll make someone smile.
Credit: Jhoanna Martinez
In fact, the bedroom she’s living in now is one of his biggest accomplishments. What was once the family’s garage became a spacious bedroom complete with a walk-in closet after her father and uncles transformed the space together.
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“He’s just a dad who genuinely loves being a dad,” Martinez says.
The response to the TikTok has been just as touching as the project itself. Martinez says countless viewers have shared stories about fathers who express affection through quiet acts of service, while others admitted they never experienced that kind of love growing up.
“It really made me appreciate my parents even more,” she says. “I wish everyone could experience what it’s like to have loving, supportive parents. Both of my parents have shaped me into the person I am today, and the healthy, loving marriage they’ve built has also influenced what I value in my own relationship.”
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