Family separated by child's illness reunited after 12 months apart

A couple separated for a full year due to their child’s illness were recently reunited in an emotional moment caught on video.

Yvonne Cahalane and John Forde normally live together in Cork, Ireland, with their two young sons, reports The Independent.

Unfortunately, their youngest son, two-year-old Tristan, suffers from a rare type of epilepsy known as Dravet Syndrome. It can cause as many as 20 seizures a day.

Shortly after Tristan was diagnosed, his parents learned he might benefit from cannabis oil treatment, which is illegal in Ireland. The family made headlines in March of last year when Yvonne began working to raise 35,000 pounds to pay for the therapy. In the end, they realized Tristan would have to travel to the U.S. to get the cannabis oil treatment — a decision that split the family in two.

Yvonne and Tristan spent 12 months in Colorado, where Tristan received what has turned out to be a life-altering treatment for him. He’s been seizure-free for almost three months now.

In a video made by C103 Cork Today Show, the family’s emotional reunion is caught on tape. Yvonne and John crouch on the ground with their two sons and embrace, while tears run down Yvonne’s face. Several other family members were also on hand to welcome Ivonne and Tristan home, just weeks before Christmas.

The city even sent firemen and a truck to pick up the family at the airport. They escorted them directly to an annual celebration of Christmas lights.

For Yvonne, it was almost too emotional to bear.

“I think I’m still shell-shocked at the moment,” she told C103 Cork Today.

“But I’m delighted to see so many friendly faces.”