Man bursts into tears after realizing his wife paid off his student loan debt as a Christmas gift

Student loans can be a real menace. Some people struggle for several years to finally be free of it. 

So when Jayla Henry, a 26-year-old stay-at-home mom cleared off her husband's debts, he just couldn't control his feelings and burst into tears. On Christmas morning, Jayla's husband, Tony, unwrapped a pair of shoes with the words "Debt Free" printed across their tops.

Jayla put text over the screen that read, "Gave my husband gag gifts for Christmas leading up to his big surprise!" When Tony unwrapped his gift, he was confused by why the loafers had "debt free" printed on them. "Yeah, I wanted you walking around debt free," responded Jayla. 

She then handed him her phone to play the recording of her conversation with a Sallie Mae representative, where they can be heard saying, "Congratulations to him, he's one lucky guy." Yes, Jayla, an influencer, had paid of her husband's student loan debts.

The two then share a tight embrace and a photo from his account that says, "All student loans are paid in full," flashes on the screen. The touching moment was shared on Jayla's TikTok. 

"I'm a big crier, so there were instant tears in my eyes," Jayla told BuzzFeed about the moment. "Seeing his appreciation was all I needed, but it also was so special to me that he cried too since he doesn't do it often. He knew how much of a sacrifice I had to make in order to pay them. After the video cuts, I received the biggest, longest hug, a million 'Thank yous,' and an 'I owe you the world now.' I am just so happy we can close that chapter of debt!"

The pandemic was hard on them, and Tony ended up losing his job, but at the same time, Jayla's social media presence was growing. So, along with saving up for her kids and their general expenses, Jayla also began setting aside some money to pay off her husband's loans. 

"I've never really been one to splurge on anything, let alone loans, but I knew to accomplish something like this I really needed to look at the bigger picture of my spending," she shared. "Only buying what we needed, not what we wanted, accounting for any money coming in and out and how much I could afford to set aside from each paycheck... My husband thankfully became employed in July and that was a huge help for bills and our savings."

Now that his loans are all settled, that's one less thing for Tony to worry about, isn't it?