12-year-old, separated from family by war, is reunited

Published: May 25, 2006 | 4243rd good news item since 2003

It was a long-awaited homecoming at Tucson International Airport Tuesday night as a 12-year-old girl from Africa, separated from her family more than three years ago, finally made her way to Tucson to join them.

You could hear her mom screaming as she spotted her daughter coming down the jet way.

The family is from Liberia, and was separated during their stay at a peace camp in the Ivory Coast.

Their oldest daughter, Patricia who is now 12, was in Africa with an aunt, while the rest of the family came to Tucson as refugees in December of 2003.

Patricia’s parents greeted their daughter at the airport with the help of employees from the Jewish Family and Children’s Service.

They have been working with the Cole family since they got to Tucson to try and reunite them with their daughter, and finally, that dream came true.

“I’m very excited because my daughter is coming…all of my family is here with me,” says Slahn Cole, Patricia’s father.

Patricia is meeting her youngest sister, who is just one for the first time. She says it feels good to be with all of them again.

Published in Reunited
See also: kvoa.com