Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Tuesday 05 November |
Saint of the Day: Bl. María del Carmen Viel Ferrando
Aleteia logo
Inspiring Stories
separateurCreated with Sketch.

Viral video of elderly sisters’ last visit together before heaven

Portrait of two elderly sisters

Strannik_fox | Shutterstock

Cerith Gardiner - published on 09/25/23

Grab your tissues as 94-year-old sister traveled the country to catch up with her 89-year-old sister one final time.

A recent video shared on TikTok will tug at your heartstrings and make you want to reach out to your siblings as soon as you can.

In the short reel that has been viewed over 2.5 million times, a pair of sisters are spending a final visit together.

When Barbara, 94, from New Hampshire, celebrated her birthday earlier in the month, her greatest wish was to go and pay a final visit to her sister, Shirley, 89, who lives in Nevada.

“She kept saying, ‘If I make it to my next birthday, I want to go see my sister for a last time,'” shared her granddaughter Stephanie Shively with Good Morning America.

Thankfully Barbara, who lives in an assisted living facility, is in good health, and with her granddaughter by her side, she was able to take a flight to Nevada for a six-day visit.

A lesson to learn

As the visit came to an end, Shively wanted to record what the sisters were saying to each other so she could show her own daughters and teach them an important lesson:

“I have three daughters who 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.”

The elderly sisters, who’d always been close throughout their lives, hadn’t seen each other before the pandemic so they had a lot to catch up on. And while it’s impossible to think of sharing a final adieu with loved ones, Barbara and Shirley’s was full of hope and positivity.

As 89-year-old Shirley explained:

If we don’t see each other on this Earth, we’ll see you in heaven.”

When a tearful Barbara replied with a “You betcha!,” her younger sibling comfortingly said, “Don’t say goodbye. Until we meet again, that’s it.”

@stephanieatkinson

#goodbye#sistersforever#notgoodbye I took my 94 year okd geandma to see her 90 year okd sister across country. This will be their last visit.

♬ original sound –

By sharing this intensely private moment between the two sisters, Shively is reminding all of us that not only is it a privilege to get to say goodbye to our loved ones — as who knows when we’ll be called home — but that we should cherish our relationships with family and friends, never forgetting to share our love for them.

Tags:
DeathElderlyFamily
Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

2025-Aleteia-Pilgrimage-300×250-1.png
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.