Meet 20-year-old Hector Zuniga. He lives in Texas.
Javier Zuniga
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Hector is autistic and loves Blockbuster, his dad, also named Hector, told BuzzFeed News.
Visiting the store weekly was a part of his routine for around seven years. "Blockbuster was kind of like his lifeline," his dad said. "It was an anchor."
On Sunday, that store closed, a spokeswoman from Dish Network told BuzzFeed News.
But the parents had planned for the change and surprised their oldest son with this.
Javier Zuniga
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His dad said they weren't sure if he was going to be happy about it.
"We were planning for the worst," he said.
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But he was a huge fan. His dad said he smiled "ear-to-ear."
Javier Zuniga
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"It was very emotional," his dad said.
The in-home movie rack was stocked with all of Hector's favorite DVDs.
Javier Zuniga
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Pure happiness.
Javier Zuniga
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Hector's younger brother, Javier, posted photos of the family's surprise, and people were so touched.
Simply wonderful.
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SO. MANY. TEARS.
Many people said that their admiration was incredibly personal.
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People even wanted to make their own contributions to the in-home store.
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The dad said that he's so happy about the story's attention, because it's a chance for his son to be seen.
“[Hector's] so much in the shadows. The spotlight is never on him," he said.
"Even though he doesn’t really know what’s going on, at the very least it’s an opportunity for him to be on center stage."
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