Former Refugee Finds Woman Who Changed Her Life With $100 In 1999

After searching for her for years, a former Yugoslavian refugee is finally reunited with the kind American stranger who she says changed her life by giving her $100 more than two decades ago. In 1999, Ayda Zugay and her sister Vanja Contino were fleeing the former Yugoslavia, heading to the U.S. to start a new life. On their flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis, they sat next to Tracy Peck, an American heading back home after a trip to play tennis in Europe and to attend the French Open.

Tracy noticed how young and frightened Ayda and Vanja were and was reminded of her own daughters, so before the flight landed, she wrote the girls a note on an envelope and put $100 inside. She didn’t realize at the time that her act of kindness would help the girls survive when they arrived in the U.S. and the memory of her generosity would stay with them for decades. Years later, Ayda began trying to find that kind stranger so she could tell her how the gesture changed her life.

Around eight years ago, Ayda posted on Reddit in the hope of somehow finding her. Then last month, a refugee advocacy organization tweeted about Ayda’s search and CNN picked up the story a few days later. The story went viral and pretty soon people who knew Tracy were connecting the dots. Then just a few days ago, 23 years after a pair of young refugees were shown that life-changing kindness, Tracy, Ayda, and Vanya were reunited on a video call. They shared with one another how much the interaction all those years ago meant to one another and how much it meant for them to be able to see each other again. Tears were shed and now the three are planning to meet up in person. Tracy says they may have been strangers when they met on that plane in 1999, but now they are family.

Source: CNN


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