94-year-old woman travels across country to say goodbye to 90-year-old sister
By Arielle Mitropoulos
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SEABROOK, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A 94-year-old woman from Seabrook made a trip across the country because she wanted to see her 90-year-old little sister one more time. Their goodbye is now going viral on TikTok.
“If we don’t see each other on this earth, we’ll see you in heaven,” the younger sister said in the heartfelt video.
“You betcha, you betcha,” the 94-year-old woman from Seabrook replied.
More than 2,700 miles is no match for nine decades of love between sisters.
“But we did, we had a wonderful, wonderful life,” the 94-year-old woman said in the video.
This reunion was three years in the making. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Barbara Carolan, 94, of Seabrook hadn’t been able to see her 90-year-old sister Shirley since 2020, but she was determined to make one final trip all the way to Nevada.
“She said, ‘I really think this will be the last time I see my sister,” Stephanie Shively, Barbara’s granddaughter said.
Shively went with her and documented their goodbye.
“They waited so long to see each other and if you don’t know if you’re going to see someone again you know, especially siblings, it must be really hard,” Shively said.
The night before they left, she captured their emotional conversation before bed.
“Don’t say goodbye!” Shirley said.
“I’m not going to! There’s no way I’m going to say goodbye to you,” Barbara replied.
Shively posted the clip on TikTok for family members to see, but by the time she woke up in the morning, her video had gone viral.
It racked up almost 13 million views and counting.
“Especially with how crazy the world can get, just to see the happiness that it’s bringing,” Shively said.
Shively said so many people have told her the video made them reach out to someone they love.
“What if this was your last time to see your loved one? Are you telling them the things that you want to tell them or you’re saying the things that you want to say?” Shively said. “Because if you’re not, you may not get a chance again.”
Because it’s a reminder that you only have so much time.
“Until we meet again,” Shirley said in the TikTok video.
Their family said Gigi, as they call Barbara, and her sister Shirley have been amazed by the response.
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