A pair of siblings who are deaf embrace for the first time in more than a decade after a surprise reunion.
Sandra Vanoster, 74, and Randall Nichol, 62, hadn’t seen each other for over 10 years – and, before that, they were out of contact for 30 years before Facebook reconnected them.
According to Sandra’s granddaughter, Lexi, Randall was fostered by Sandra’s mom at the age of four before his biological mom reconnected with him during his teenage years.
Randall was conflicted, Lexi said, and after heading to college, he started a new life, only seeing Sandra on a few occasions in the 70s and 80s before losing touch.
Having eventually moved to Florida, Randall was out of contact with Sandra and her family until a niece messaged him on Facebook in 2010 and said he was missed.
Within a few days of that message, around Randall’s 50th birthday, he reconnected with a number of his adoptive family members and was able to plan a family reunion in Ohio, where Sandra is still based.
That meeting was the only get-together the families had, though, because of distance, before this year’s big surprise.
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Randall had been asked to make a trip to Ohio to sing the national anthem at the Ohio State vs. Michigan football game over Thanksgiving.
He spoke to Lexi and her mom, Angee, and planned the big surprise for his sister, which saw him drive an hour out of his way to make it happen.
As he entered Lexi’s home on November 27, Lexi began recording, capturing the wholesome surprise on video.
Lexi said: “Mom was planning to drive the hour to where Randall was staying, but he said he would come to my house so we could relax and not be rushed.
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“He then asked that we keep it a secret to surprise Sandra, and the rest is history.
“It was so touching to see them together again; they were so happy.
“We sat around for hours while they told stories.
“People have been loving their reactions and find it so adorable to see them interact.”