For many families, the hardest part of the COVID-19 pandemic is being separated from their loved ones. All over the country, there are grandparents who’ve yet to meet grandbabies, parents who haven’t seen their kids in over a year and grandkids who’ve been unable to visit grandma and grandpa. Recent changes to CDC guidelines allow for visits with vaccinated loved ones, and now those long separations are finally ending for some. All over social media, people are sharing heartwarming videos of their emotional reunions with loved ones they haven’t seen since the pandemic began.
1. Ask your doctor if hugs are right for you
Jessica Shaw, the host of a Sirius XM radio show, says her mom’s doctor actually wrote a prescription to “hug her granddaughter.” She follows the photo of the prescription with a video of her mom receiving her first hug in over a year during a tearful family reunion.
2. We have a surprise for you
In Louisiana, news anchor Christina Watkins shares a video of a surprised grandson seeing his grandparents for the first time in eight months. The video was recorded by his mom, who “didn’t tell her son because she wanted to surprise him.”
3. Reunited, and it feels so good
In Pennsylvania, a vaccinated grandmother got the chance to see her young grandson for the first time since October 2020. The little boy can hardly contain his glee as he sprints over for a hug.
4. Oh, our hearts!
Meanwhile, a grandad in Detroit, Michigan got the first hugs in a year from his grandkids after he was vaccinated. “I missed you all,” he says.
5. Three generations together again
It isn’t just grandparents and grandchildren who are finally getting the chance to see each other again. A UK woman shares this sweet photo of her mother and grandmother spending time together after more than a year apart.
6. This is what true love looks like
COVID-19 also impacted couples who are high risk or who reside in assisted living facilities. One person on Twitter says his 94- and 95-year-old grandparents were finally allowed to see each other in person last week after being separated for the entire pandemic. The pair have been married for 72 years.
7. The hug of a lifetime
Another Twitter user shares a short clip of her first post-vaccine hug with her grandmother. “This was my first hug with my grandma in a year,” she writes. “I think I needed it as much as she did.”
8. We’re all in this together
A stranger in the park got to witness a powerful reunion firsthand. They write that a woman nervously walked into the park and said she wasn’t sure her grandson would recognize her. Then, a little boy yelled “Nana!” and ran over to jump into her arms. “I started crying because in that moment I could tell exactly how long and hard this last year was for her,” they write.
9. Keep holding onto hope
This adorable message posted outside a Massachusetts home serves as a promising reminder that many grandparents are on their way to being fully vaccinated. There are “just two more weeks till some grandparent fun.”
The pandemic has been one of the hardest and loneliest times many people have ever experienced. These reunions aren’t just heartwarming and emotional; they’re a reminder of how much people have sacrificed over the past year to keep each other safe and to put an end to this deadly virus.
Despite some families getting the chance to reunite, the pandemic is far from over. There are still hundreds of thousands of cases of the virus in the U.S., and many are still waiting on their chance to get vaccinated. Nonetheless, these reunions are a reminder of the love and connections that have helped so many people get through this difficult time, and they offer a glimmer of hope to everyone looking forward to the chance to see their family and friends.
