A man who had not seen his mom since he moved to the United States as a teenager cried tears of joy when she surprised him after 13 years apart.
Angel Perez, 28, moved from his hometown of Matamoros, in Mexico, to Texas in search of a new life, leaving behind his mom, dad and two sisters.
As the years went by, the separation was extremely tough for Angel, who couldn’t return to his homeland because of his immigration status.
That distance only got tougher when his sister welcomed a child into the world, and his father passed away, in August 2023, more than a decade after Angel last saw him.
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But little did Angel know, his mom, Ana, 47, had been working on getting her visa approved to travel to the U.S.
She liaised with Angel’s wife, Aracely, who said that she cried with happiness when she received the news, as she knew how much her husband missed his mom.
Ana and Aracely worked together to plan a surprise for Angel, which they decided would take place at his uncle’s house, in San Benito, Texas, on October 26.
The family planned a cookout, at which Angel stood chatting to relatives when he was encouraged to look toward the opening back door of the house.
As soon as he saw his mom walking towards him, Angel immediately burst into tears and covered his eyes in shock.
He then headed in for a long-awaited hug, thirteen years in the making, before holding his sister, who had made the journey, too.
The emotional moment was captured on video, which Aracely later shared on her TikTok channel.
She said: “My mother-in-law called me stating she had gotten her visa approved.
“I remember we both cried because I knew how much my husband missed his mom.
“Since he had lost his dad, his fear was that he would not get the chance to see his mom any time soon, or, God not willing, lose his mom just like his dad.
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“We both immediately made last-minute plans, gathering his family for a cookout where later he would reunite with his mom and sister, who he also last saw 13 years ago.
“From the moment that my mother-in-law walked out of the house, tears came rolling out.
“I was very happy that the day that the time had finally arrived.
“It was a dream come true for Angel.
“The way my husband hugged his mom and the way he immediately cried put a knot in my throat.
“I know that for a moment my husband also cried because it’s been very hard for him to accept that he will never get to see his dad again and hug him one last time.”