This tear-jerking moment between a Gen Z and her lola recently went viral on TikTok after netizens were touched by their support and solid relationship.
In the video, Lola Babylonia can be seen and heard comforting her 21-year-old granddaughter, Hadassah Bigno, who was worrying about her future after her parents died.
“Sobrang dami pa ng pangarap ko sa buhay, lola. Gusto ko pang maging manager sa isang kumpanya, gusto ko din maging product manager, operations manager, o digital marketing manager. Nape-pressure kasi ako dahil wala na sina mommy at daddy,” Hadassah said in the now viral video.
“Sige lang, nagdadasal ako para sa kanilang dalawa, kay lolo mo, kay daddy mo, at kay mommy mo. Sabi ko, huwag pabayaan si Hadassah,” Lola Babylonia assured her support for Hadassah.
As young as 17 years old, Hadassah became an orphan after her mom died in 2018 due to heart attack, and her dad passed away in 2020 after suffering kidney failure. Since then, Lola Babylonia became her guardian and anchor in navigating her new life.
“Very close po ako kay lola, kasi only child langako. So ‘yung mom ko po ay only child din po siya, lumaki talaga po ako sa care ng parents ko and with grandparents.Super emotional po talaga ako but I see strength from lola po kasi grabe talaga po ‘yung pag-encourage niya sa akin,” Hadassah told The Philippine STAR.
“‘Pag nakikita niya po umiiyak na ako, she will always hold her grit na hindi siya umiyak. Even though sometimes sinasabi ko, ‘Lola parang wala nang hope,’ sabi niya, ‘Go lang, kaya mo ‘yan, go lang.’ Sinu-support niya ko,” she added.
Hadassah is currently taking marketing management at Cebu Institute of Technology while Lola Babylonia stays in Masbate along with other family members.
“Sabi ko, ‘Okay ka lang ba lola dito sa Masbate.’ Sabi niya, ‘walang problema palagi naman tayo magko-communicate.’ Sabi niya, ‘go, punta ka lang diyan sa Cebu, achieve your dreams. You need to grasp everything, ‘yung mayroong mga opportunities, go lang,’” Hadassah shared.
Hadassah said that her lola became her strength and hope during the lowest points of her life.
Noting, “Grabe po ‘yung mga advice niya when it comes to life, and she always gives me that, ‘yung parang comfort na kailangan ko ma-open up sa kanya. Sabi niya, ‘Tayo na lang dalawa, so we need to help each other.’”
“But sabi niya, ‘In everything that you do, what you experience, you need to open up sa akin, so that I could teach you, so that I could give you comfort and also to guide you in every aspect of your life,’” she added.
She stressed that she’s doing everything to make her parents proud while also doing her best to let her lola witness her success in life.
“We don’t know what the future may hold. Fourth year na po kasi ako ngayon, and sabi ko, ‘God please make lola stay strong that she will see me there upstage, and she will see that her only apo will graduate,’” she emotionally said.
Adding, “Lola mama, I thank God for your life. I really thank God that you’re strong, very strong, and inspired me to become who I am, not just today but also in the future. Let it be done lord, maaabutan mo pa ‘yung family ko in the future. And thank you very much for supporting me lola kahit andiyan ka sa Masbate City and Malapit na lola, isang semester na lang, gagraduate na ‘yung apo mo.”
