A grandma was given a sweet surprise when she opened her front door and discovered her seven-month-old great grandson who had travelled across the country to surprise her.
78-year-old Doris lives in St. Louis, Missouri, while her granddaughter, Riana, 26, and her son, Rowe, live in Atlanta, Georgia, so her connection with Rowe had predominantly been over FaceTime.
Doris, who had only met Rowe once before the surprise, shares a strong relationship with Riana, having helped Riana’s single mom raise her while she was a child.
Riana stayed at her grandparents’ house in Georgia every weekend, but after Doris’ husband passed away, in 2023, her son encouraged her to move home to St. Louis, where she still had lots of friends and family who were retired.
The move saw Doris flourish, Riana said, but it also meant the sad truth that her grandma now lived hours away in a different state, meaning she would be around to spend time with her great grandson.
Ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend, Riana’s mom suggested planning a visit to surprise Doris, and so Riana made a roughly eight-hour drive with Rowe alongside her.
Having made it to Doris’ retirement community, Riana then placed Rowe in a crawling position outside her grandmother’s front door and rang the doorbell.
Doris opened the door and there, in the hallway, she saw a family face looking up at her, before covering her mouth from the shock of the surprise.
Riana then picked up Rowe and headed in for an emotional reunion hug that was captured on video.
She said: “When I found out I was pregnant last year, my grandma was already living in St Louis, so she virtually experienced my pregnancy over FaceTime.
“She got to meet the baby once after he was born, but after that it was only online and FaceTime.
“The moment was so special to me.
“She has gone through and overcome so much, it means so much to be able to surprise her and make her feel special.
“I’ve always tried to make her feel the way she has made me feel all this time.
“Plus, she had never seen my baby this big, so it was nice to be able to share that with her.
“The message I hope others take from this story is: call your grandma.
“Make her feel special. Bring her flowers. Get dinner with her.
“The smallest things count.
“And if you are missing your grandma, just know she love you and misses you too.”
