A granddaughter took her 94-year-old grandmother across the country to see her 90-year-old sister for the last time in a heartbreaking journey of devotion.
Two sisters who had not seen each other in over three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic got to say a final goodbye to each other in person.
The heartwrenching moment was captured by one of the woman's granddaughters, who shared it on TikTok, where it now has over 13.1 million views and 2.5 million likes on the social media platform.
"If we don't see each other on this Earth, we'll see you in heaven," 90-year-old Shirley can be heard saying to her older sister Barbara in the video. "You betcha," 94-year-old Barbara replied, amid tears.
"Don't say goodbye," Shirley simply stated, before emotionally adding: "Until we meet again, that's it."
Watch the emotional moment below:According to Good Morning America, the younger sister Shirley lives in Nevada and has not seen Barbara, who lives in New Hampshire, since 2020.
Barbara's granddaughter, Stephanie Shively, revealed to the publication that her grandmother's only birthday wish was to travel across the country to see her only living sibling.
"She kept saying, 'If I make it to my next birthday, I want to go see my sister for a last time,'" Shively, who also lives in New Hampshire, shared.
Shively explained that while neither of the sisters has serious medical complications, it is difficult for them to see each other as they'd have to embark on a long cross-country flight. That is why they anticipated that this would be the final trip either of them could make.
The sisters finally reunited during a six-day trip earlier this month. The night before Barbara left for an early morning flight, the granddaughter saw them sharing a heartwarming yet soul-crushing moment in the living room, so she took out her phone to record it for her own kids.
"I knew it would be emotional because they keep talking about this being their last visit," Shively said. "I just stood in the back, really just hoping to be able to hear them.
"And I recorded it really for my own girls because I have three daughters that are older, and I was like you know, I want them to see you might feel young now at 27, but sisterhood lasts all the way until 90 and this is how it can feel even in your 90s," she explained.
Shively told the outlet that the touching reunion in Nevada had her reflecting on the special bond both sisters shared for their entire lives.
"Every night on the trip they slept together in my Aunt Shirley's room and every time I walked by I'd think, I wonder how many sleepovers they've had in their lifetime, how many arguments, divorces, marriages, and kids and all that they've gone through," Shively said.
The granddaughter explained that the sisters have always lived far away from each other but over the years they were able to stay in touch through phone calls and frequent trips with their husbands, who have both sadly passed away.
Furthermore, Shively said her grandmother - who now lives in an assisted living facility - expressed gratitude to her for making the memorable trip happen.
"At every turn, she'd say, 'I'm just so thankful to be able to be out here and see my sister,'" Shively said of Barbara. "She knows it's a big trip and that's why she was so thankful that it came together," she added.
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