It’s a story that has captivated the province. A rescue from the cruel Atlantic, which has taken the lives of too many Newfoundland and Labrador fishermen.

Their story has been told. The Lucky Seven, as they’re known, were rescued after spending more than 50 hours floating in a life raft. That’s after their fishing vessel, The Elite Navigator, went down in flames.

Most prepared for the worst, hoping for a miracle. And at 1:00 a.m. Saturday, prayers finally were answered. We were there, among the thousands, for the emotional reunion with family and friends, and this was my first picture.

It has now been shared nationally, seen by tens of thousands all over the world. For many, it was the first sight of The Lucky Seven on land. This isn’t a mother and son, or husband and wife. But they are family, not by blood but by the roots of a little place called New-Wes-Valley.

This loving embrace was just too emotional to put into words at the moment, but the woman behind this photo later wrote me to explain.

From the words of Tammy Coates:

“I truly don’t have words for that picture. It was pure and every emotion I had was from the heart. I kept telling myself I wasn’t going to cry, but when I saw Toby with his Mom, Dad and Sister – my heart couldn’t take it anymore. To be honest, when I saw him everything else around me seemed to disappear. I just needed to hug him for a moment, or two. My tears were tears of joy and happiness. Most people know me as ‘our hairdresser’ – I’m just Toby’s hairdresser, but i’ve known him since he was a young man… and he holds a special place in my heart. Living in a small town, you know everyone and their families – and that makes them more than clients… they become your family.”