These touching photographs depict the moment a 103-year-old woman received the nicest birthday present she could have asked for.
When Lillian Grant turned the incredible age of 103, she received much more than a surprise party.
A BBQ was held for Lillian, who is in an assisted living facility in St. George, Utah, to mark her birthday.
Upon being asked what she would like for her birthday, Debbie Presland responded with, “A wonderful kitty like Sammy,” which is exactly what she got.
Sammy was Lillian’s much-loved cat, who had unfortunately passed away just over a year before, leaving her heartbroken.
After hearing this, Debbie determined that she would do everything in her power to help Lillian achieve her goal. As a result, she asked the assistance of her brother Joseph in order to acquire a feline friend.
He is employed by the St George Animal Shelter, and the shelter soon presented him with a nine-year-old cat named Marley to care for.
In fact, she had just recently arrived at the shelter since her previous owner had to give her up when she relocated to another assisted living facility, where pets were not allowed.
“We wanted to make absolutely certain that everything would turn out absolutely perfectly,” Joseph added. “If (Grant and Marley) didn’t click, we would’ve tried another cat.”
Debbie told Lillian they had a nice surprise for her just before bringing out her birthday cake. They introduced her to Marley, and Lily immediately cuddled her. Joseph said, “The cat just went to her right away.”
Lillian wasn’t sure what was going on at first; she assumed Marley was just paying her a visit for her birthday celebration. Lillian couldn’t believe it when Debbie leaned in and told her Marley was now her cat.
The two of them clicked right away and are now inseparable. Lillian now refers to her new closest friend as Marley Sammy, after her beloved cat.
Debbie is overjoyed to have been able to provide Lillian with this wonderful beam of sunshine that has improved her life. She stated, “Just seeing her reaction choked me up. My eyes welled up with tears. It was quite sweet.”
Thanks for reading! Please share this beautiful story with your friends on Facebook.
