A grandpa in California was recently overcome with emotion when his two grandchildren, both first-generation college students, showed up at his quarantined nursing home in their graduation caps and gowns.
As Good Morning America reported, Vana Ebrahimi and her brother both recently graduated from post-secondary institutions, and although the recent outbreak has postponed their formal ceremonies, they still wanted to share their incredible achievements with the person they love the most.
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Before the virus began, 86-year-old Hayrik Abnous had a serious fall that resulted in a broken hip and leg.
After a month’s-long stint in the hospital, he was moved into a nursing home to undergo physiotherapy where his wife and his granddaughter, Vana, would regularly come visit him.
But during his stay, the coronavirus outbreak hit the U.S., forcing his nursing home, like all others in the country, to go into lockdown and restrict visitors. Suddenly, Vana and her grandmother couldn’t come see Hayrik anymore.
Vana explained that she and her grandfather have an incredibly close bond and a special relationship.
“My grandpa is everyone’s rock,” she told GMA . “He’s a happy-go-lucky guy. He always has a smile on. People tell me I’m always smiling and I tell them, ‘That’s my grandpa.'”
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“It’s a special trait we got from him to be able to find the silver lining in everything.”
Not only did the coronavirus put Hayrik’s nursing home on lockdown, but it also cancelled both Vana and her brother’s graduation ceremonies.
This year, both the siblings successfully completed their post-secondary education, with Vana earning her law degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and her brother his medical degree.
With in-person ceremonies canceled and moved to online, the siblings were devastated that their beloved grandpa wouldn’t see them receive their diplomas.
But rather than mope, Vana and her brother decided to find that silver lining they knew their grandpa would look for, and came up with the idea to bring their graduation to him.
In a now-viral TikTok video posted by Vana, she and her brother show up to their grandfather’s nursing home and stand outside the window, proudly wearing their graduation caps and gowns as he looks on from inside.
“We did it, grandpa!” Vana captioned the emotional clip.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Hayrik lowers his mask to reveal his elated smile at the sight of his graduate grandchildren.
Overcome with emotion, he begins to cry, which of course is enough to move Vana and her brother to tears, as well.
“My grandpa is always smiling,” Vana told GMA . “To see him cry… I don’t have words for that.”
She added that the moment made her think, “‘Wow. I really did make him proud.’ I was so thankful for be able to share that with him.”
Vana said the moment was more than a graduation celebration — it was a celebration of all the sacrifices her family has made.
Her grandparents came to the U.S. from Iran in 1989 and her parents followed in 1992.
“Coming to this country was a tough time for them. It’s nice to feel like we did our part and this is our thank you to them for doing theirs for us,” Vana said. “You hear all the stories about their struggles and it’s like we did this. Not just me and my brother…my parents, my grandparents, my family.”
h/t: Good Morning America , TikTok