Girl Surprised By Great Grandpa Who Suffers Dementia On Her Birthday

A four-year-old screamed with delight when she was surprised on her birthday by her great grandfather who used to live with her but had to move into care because of dementia. Aleida Rodriguez is extremely close to her great grandfather Jesse Bocanegra, 85, having helped care for him and lived in the same house as him for the first few years of her life. Her mom Ava and grandma Gina cared for Jesse, but in the summer of 2021, he was moved into a nursing home – a change Aleida found extremely tough. The pair's interactions are now limited to occasional visits, but Aleida still gets sad when she has to leave Jesse. So for Aleida's birthday, on February 7, Ava, 25, and Gina, 44, decided to pick up Jesse and bring him to his great granddaughter's school instead. The family captured the wholesome moment on video, which Gina revealed is to one day help Jesse remember family members, and also share with Aleida when she's older.

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