Parenthood is hard, especially when your financial situation is not good and you are dealing with a toxic relationship.
Sometimes, no matter how impossibly hard it may seem, giving your children up so they can have a better life is the best thing for everyone.
No one knew this more than Carmen Santiago.
She had three young children, no money, and an abusive partner.
Carmen wanted nothing more in the world than for her children to be safe and well cared for, and she knew she wasn’t able to do that in her circumstances.
Carmen’s three children Sophia, Tara, and Jeremy all ended up being raised by other people.
Sophia was looked after by her biological father, Tara was adopted by family friends, and Jeremy was adopted by a family that Carmen knew would be able to take good care of him.
Despite being raised in a God-fearing and extremely loving household, Jeremy still missed his mother and sisters.
He was adopted at the age of four and 18 years later, at the age of 22, he finally found his biological family online.
Jeremy managed to track down his sisters on Facebook and he friend-requested them, then messaged them.
The three siblings were elated to find each other and both of the girls said that when they saw the name of the person who contacted them, they could hardly believe it.
They quickly made a plan to meet and when they did it was like no time had passed.
The girls had already been in contact with their mother but they wanted to reunite Carmen and Jeremy in a surprise.
The girls took Carmen to a local park with a section for skateboarders and as they wandered around Carmen commented on how she’d never been there before.
In the background of the footage, a young man was seen skating over to the top of a ramp.
As the women were laughing, the man on the ramp called over to them, “Hey mom, watch me!” he said before he dropped into his skate trick.
Carmen looked over and saw the move but didn’t know what to make of what the man had said.
She was very confused as she looked at one of her daughters and said, “Who’s that?”
The girl, who was filming the whole thing on her phone, asked her mother if she had heard what had been said.
Carmen said that she did but was still confused about the situation.
It took the woman a few seconds to realize what was happening, but the change on her face when she figured it out speaks volumes.
“Oh my God!” the woman proclaimed over and over again as Jeremy skated over to her.
After 18 years the family had finally been reunited and they were all ecstatic and emotional to see each other.
Jeremy, who is quite tall, leaned in for a hug and towered over all three women.
The two held onto each other like their lives depended on it, both crying and exclaiming their “Oh my God’s” over and over again.
All three children held no ill-will against their mother, knowing that she did what was best for them at the time, but there were all incredibly happy to be reunited again.
Watch the heartwarming reunion in Happily’s video below!
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