Sisterly love knows no bounds – even through death.
So when two sisters, ages 89 and 94, finally got to see each other for the first time in more than 3 years, it wasn’t just to say hello to each other.
It was to say their final goodbye.
Barbara, 94, had one wish, her granddaughter said: to travel from her home in New Hampshire to Nevada and see her sister, Shirley, one last time.
“She kept saying, ‘If I make it to my next birthday, I want to go see my sister for a last time,'” said Stephanie Shively, Barbara’s granddaughter. Shively asked that the sisters’ last names not be revealed.
Throughout the trip, Shively said, she couldn’t help but think of all the things the sisters must have been through together.
“Every night on the trip they slept together in my Aunt Shirley’s room and every time I walked by I’d think, I wonder how many sleepovers they’ve had in their lifetime, how many arguments, divorces, marriages and kids and all that they’ve gone through,” Shively said.
@stephanieatkinson #goodbye #sistersforever #notgoodbye ♬ original sound – Stephanie Atkinson Shively
The sisters, she added, had always lived far away from one another, but had managed when they were younger to have more visits, often with their husbands, who have both since passed away.
But it was the conversation that Shively caught on video, on the sisters’ last night together, that has pushed everyone to re-evaluate their relationships with their own family members.
Shirley, left, of Nevada, poses with her sister Barbara, who traveled from New Hampshire for one last visit with each other. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Shively
The heartbreaking conversation took place the night before the sisters would have to part ways.
Both sisters, Shively said, have medical issues that make traveling difficult And since this trip was such a long one to make, they knew it would likely be the last one they would be able to make.
Shively said the sisters were just sitting and talking on their last night together, so she took her phone out to record a video for her own children.
“I knew it would be emotional because they keep talking about this being their last visit,” Shively said. “I just stood in the back, really just hoping to be able to hear them.”
“We had a wonderful, wonderful time,” Barbara can be heard telling Shirley.
“If we don’t see each other [again] on this earth, we’ll see each other in heaven,” Shirley said.
“You betcha!” Barbara sobbed. “You betcha.”
Shirley then begs Barbara, “Don’t say goodbye!”
“I’m not going to! There’s no way I’m going to say goodbye to you,” Barbara said. “Until we meet again.”
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.
Shively titled the video, “Go hug your sister.” It has been viewed more than 13 million times. And has resulted in many many tears from viewers.
Sisters Shirley, left, and Barbara were captured by Barbara’s granddaughter having a final in-person conversation together. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Shively
Viewers were heartbroken, with one stating: “WHYYY YOU GOT ME CRYING AT 8 IN THE MORNING?!”
Another wrote, “It’s not good bye, it’s see you later. I imagine when we pass, it’ll be like going home. And never again will we have to be separated from the ones we love.”
Shively shared more videos at viewers request, including “One last tear jerker” as Barbara waved goodbye to Shirley as she headed to the airport.
So many strangers, Shively said, told her the video pushed them to reach out to their own loved ones. A reminder, she said, that we have limited time with which to spend with those we love.
“What if this was your last time to see your loved one?” Shively asked. “Are you telling them the things that you want to tell them or saying the things that you want to say? Because if you’re not, you may not get a chance again.”
To watch the heartbreaking moment between the two sisters, click on the video below.
