For decades, Genevieve Purinton lived with the belief that she had no family left. Once part of a large family with eight siblings, she had outlived them all, leaving her to spend her later years in an assisted living center in Tampa, convinced she was truly alone.

Unlike many, Genevieve never had the chance to raise a child. At just 18 years old in 1949, she became pregnant, only to be told that her baby girl didn’t survive. She never conceived again and carried that heartbreaking loss with her for nearly seven decades.

“I was told she died,” Genevieve recalled, never questioning the devastating news. That is, until the unimaginable happened—someone reached out, claiming to be the daughter she had mourned all those years ago.

In an emotional reunion captured on video, Genevieve and her daughter, Connie, embraced for the very first time—sharing a hug meant to make up for lost time. Understandably overwhelmed, the two held onto each other, finally closing a chapter of uncertainty and opening a new one filled with love.

Connie, who had long dreamed of meeting her birth mother, had been searching for answers since she was just five years old. But it wasn’t until recently, when she purchased a DNA test from Ancestry.com, that she finally found the missing piece of her story.

The test results connected her to a long-lost cousin, who provided her with Genevieve’s name. And once she realized her birth mother was still alive, Connie knew she had to find her.

Although their reunion came 69 years late, it’s proof that love and family can still find their way back together. Genevieve, who once believed she had no one left, now has a daughter, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren in her life. And with so much time to catch up on, one thing is certain—this is just the beginning of a beautiful new chapter.