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A granddaughter flew back to Guatemala to surprise her grandmother after 18 years apart.
Vercelly Ximena Ochoa Girón last saw her grandma Ruth when she was just seven-years-old, when her grandma sent her off to the U.S.
After years living in the U.S. with her mom, who was already in the U.S. for work, Vercelly eventually became a U.S. citizen.
And there was only one destination and one person on her mind to visit.
Vercelly said: “That was my number one thing I said, ‘The minute I get my papers I’m going to go to Guatemala’.
“There was no other country, I wanted to go back to where I was from and I really just wanted to go back for my grandma.”
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Video captured on July 4, 2022, shows the moment Vercelly walked through the door of Ruth’s home for the first time in nearly two decades.
A stunned Ruth can barely believe her eyes, before she begins jumping up and down with glee.
As the two embrace, years of separation can be seen melting away.
Vercelly added: “You know, for a lot of people, it’s hard that they can’t go back and see their family and I was very blessed to be able to do that. Because that’s all I really wanted.
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“I just felt all these emotions.
“I felt like I just didn’t want to leave her anymore. I just wanted to stay there.
“It was a bunch of emotions that I had but I was just very happy I made it after like 9 hours of traveling but I just wanted to get there and I just wanted to give her a big hug.
“And that’s all I’ve wanted. I just wanted to hug my grandma one more time.”
Story via T&T Creative Media