'I love you, it's been a long time': Tearful moment homeless man and his daughter are reconnected over Skype after 24 YEARS

The touching reunion brought Jimmy Francis, 74, and his daughter, Natalie Caler, to tears

The pair were reconnected with the help of Las Vegas realtor Jim Snyder and his wife Maria who invited the man into their home and searched Facebook for his daughter

The Snyders are now trying to raise money so that Francis and Caler, who lives in California, can reunite in person

An elderly homeless man has been reunited with his long lost daughter over Skype, after 24 years apart.

The touching moment brought Jimmy Francis, 74, and Natalie Caler to tears as he told her: 'I love you, it's been a long time.'



The emotional reunion was made possible by a kind-hearted Las Vegas realtor, Jim Snyder, and his wife Maria, who are now raising money to get Francis and California-based Caler together in person.

Emotional: The touching reunion on Skype brought Natalie Caler, pictured, to tears

Mr Snyder discovered Francis hungry and shivering outside a Las Vegas sandwich shop earlier this week. He bought the man something to eat and left. But Snyder couldn't get the image of Francis hunched over in the cold out of his head, so he drove back, picked him up and took him home.

'When I took him that sandwich and I handed it to him and how cold he was, it broke my heart,' he told KTNV.com .



After giving Francis some coffee and a hot shower and washing his clothes, the pair chatted and Mr Snyder learned that the man had been living on the streets for 10 months after his wife left him and he lost everything.

Homeless: Jimmy Francis, pictured, was overwhelmed after finding his daughter

Emotional: Francis, 74, pictured, wiped his eyes as he told his daughter: 'I love you, it's been a long time'

He also learned Francis had battled cancer and nearly died and was trying to reconnect with his six children. Surviving the illness made finding his family more important than ever, Francis told him.



Overcome by the story, the Snyders decided to do everything they could to help.



Francis told Ms Snyder the names of his children, and she searched for them on Facebook.



It didn't take long before she discovered Caler, who fitted Francis' description of the daughter he'd lost touch with years ago when her mother cut off contact. Ms Snyder sent her a message and soon received one back.



'She was shocked, crying, amazed. The first thing she wanted to know (was) is this is my dad? Is he doing okay?' Mr Snyder told KTNV.com.

Kind-hearted: Las Vegas realtor Jim Snyder, right, and his wife Maria, left, searched for Francis' children on Facebook after inviting him into their home

The woman told the Snyders she has been searching for her father for many years but didn't have any luck.



'She was so happy to know he was ok but saddened that he was homeless,' Ms Snyder said. 'We were able to re-unite them over the phone for several hours over multiple emotional conversations.'



During those conversations, Francis learned that he had five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren in California, where Caler works as a truck driver.



The Snyders then reconnected the father and daughter on Skype, allowing them to see each other's faces for the first time in a quarter-century.

Happy: After multiple phone conversations, Francis, pictured right, learned he has at least five great-grandchildren in California

Search: Natalie Caler, pictured with one of her grandchildren, said she had been searching for her father for years

Both were moved to tears to see each other again after such a long time apart. But after the crying, there were a lot of laughs.



'There is no way I could ever repay them for what they've done. Not even knowing me,' Francis told KTNV.com of the loving family that helped him rebuild his own.



Ms Snyder said she was proud of her husband for taking the needy man in and thrilled they could help him reconnect with his daughter.



'We could not believe what was unfolding in front of us,' she said. 'I believe my husband Jim was meant to be there to help this man and quite literally save his life. We are so overjoyed to be a part of this and be able to re-unite them.'



The Snyders are now trying to raise enough money to get Francis to California to be with Caler, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, because neither can afford the plane fare.



They are also hoping to find Francis' other children in the process.



If you would like to help, you can donate to their campaign on website FundRazr here .

