Watch the adorable moment elderly woman surprises siblings in reunion that sees them all together for the first time in 21 years

SWNS 2022-09-26

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This is the adorable moment an elderly woman surprised her siblings by travelling over 1,000 miles across Canada for a wholesome reunion.

Ethel Zaporosky from Winnipeg, Manitoba travelled to Montreal, Quebec to see four of her siblings - one of whom had just come out of the hospital the day before.

The video posted online shows Ethel, 82, lovingly sneak up on sisters Barbara, 84, and Dorren, 82, and then seeing brother Ted, 72.

First, she greets sister Barbara who had recently left the hospital and was reduced to tears when Ethel says "I came to cheer you up!"

Doreen then enters the room in full conversation with Barbara and as soon as she realises Ethel's made an appearance, for a moment she's too stunned to speak.

Finally, young brother Ted is seen being welcomed into the group as Ethel is heard saying "Hi baby brother!"

The heartwarming reunion was captured by Joanne Padvaiskas, 57, the daughter of Doreen.

Joanne, an interior designer, said: "Ethel decided to book a last-minute trip from Winnipeg to Montreal to come to see her sister and stay with her for a couple of weeks to help her recuperate.

"By coincidence, Ted was also coming to town from Vancouver, as he usually comes in every 12-18 months to visit his daughter, Emilie.

"So we - me, my sister Lisa, and Ted’s daughter, Emilie - decided to arrange for the surprise and get them all together.

"Ethel arrived September 2, the day I took the Barbara video, Teddy arrived September 16, and the reunion of all four happened on September 17.

"She was last in Montreal in March 2020, right at the start of the pandemic.

"She only saw Doreen and Barbara at that time, she lives in Manitoba, so the siblings don’t see each other often."

Ethel was in Winnipeg for the duration of the pandemic and wasn't able to see her siblings.

Joanne spoke about the emotions of the day: "We were all so grateful that these siblings could be together at the same time after so many [21] years.

"Teddy hadn’t seen Ethel in about ten years.

"He had seen Barbara and Doreen, as Ted comes to Montreal every year or two, and Ethel has seen Barbara and Doreen - Barbara and Doreen both live in Montreal, and the three sisters have had a few opportunities to get together.

"But all four of them hadn’t seen each other, and been together at the same time, in 21 years.

"There is one other surviving sibling, Philip, who lives in Victoria, BC, and we are hoping to get another reunion planned!

"The five siblings haven’t been in the same room all together since their mum died in 1997."

"For me, the standout moment was the sheer joy these siblings express when they get together.

"They were eight siblings originally, and only five are left.

"That group hug choked us all up. You could feel the love."

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