The Thought That Counts: Isolated Birthday Helped by Family's Wonderfully Off-Key Gesture

Sophie Gilman from Kent, England, celebrated her birthday while in self-isolation, but thanks to a chaotic but adorable rendition of Happy Birthday from family members she certainly didn’t feel alone.

Gilman shared footage to Twitter on March 25 showing how her sister’s young family helped bring some birthday cheer with a performance outside her window.

Gilman’s sister, Sara Draper, used a toy keyboard to play the tune, which her eight-year-old nephew William, and nieces Phoebe (5) and Abigail (2) sang along to, alongside Draper’s husband, Gav.

As Gilman’s tweet put it, “The singing is terrible, but the effort is amazing.”

Gilman told Storyful, “I am one of six children, I’m the youngest and Sara is the eldest (she is a twin). She lives the closest to me, about one mile away, and walked to my house with the kids as a surprise for my birthday.”

Speaking on April 3, she added, "I’m currently in a 12-week [period of] isolation, hence why this happened. I had a heart transplant ten years ago so I’m considered highly vulnerable.

“I was very shocked but very appreciative of the effort they made, but it was also really sad to not be able to go out and see them properly.” Credit: Sophie Gilman via Storyful