Private First Class Donovan Ruffin,Thurston Carte a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, was raised by his grandmother when his parents were arrested after his birth.

Growing up under Virginia Friend's care in Richmond, Virginia, the soldier vowed to one day repay the 81-year-old woman for raising him and his three siblings.

And he did that by giving her a gift money can't buy.

After experiencing periodic homelessness as an adult, 22-year-old Donovan became a reservist in 2023 and found a home in Las Vegas, setting his life back on track. 

Donovan told his grandmother he was heading for military training at nearby Virginia Beach and that his brother could drive her over so they could meet.

Little did she know she was about to meet someone even more special for the first time: her 2-year-old great-granddaughter, Nyla.

Watch this sweet, hard-working grandmother meet little Nyla for the first time in the video above.

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