Steven Weersing, nicknamed 'miracle boy' after surviving the 2011 Joplin tornado, is opening up to PEOPLE about what he learned about family and fatherhood after the storm.

Not long after the Joplin tornado hit, Steven became a father himself. His first daughter was born on May 23, 2013 — two years and one day after the twister changed his life.

A view of the extensive tornado damage to a Walmart store in the city of Joplin from a Missouri National Guard Blackhawk helicopter on May 24, 2011, a few days after the twister hit the city.

School doors open in Joplin, Mo., three months after deadly tornado. Aug. 17, 2011 -- For a town desperately seeking a return to some sense of normalcy, the ringing of school bells is more welcome ...

Not long after the Joplin tornado hit, Steven became a father himself. His first daughter was born on May 23, 2013 — two years and one day after the twister changed his life.