A bittersweet epidemic reunion a year after the birth of their son and the untimely death of Grandpa

When their kid was born — or when they discovered a parent had died — a Calgary couple was unable to visit their family. During the early stages of the pandemic, Andrew and Kimberly Rockwell had a newborn son. They did, however, lose a parent two months later.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Calgary couple had to go experience the joy — and the grief — on their own.

They couldn't rely on relatives and friends as much as they used to. They couldn't touch anyone outside of their family for safety reasons, and traveling to the East Coast to mourn Andrew's father, who died suddenly of a heart attack, wasn't an option.

They've finally been reunited with loved ones and are attempting to recover together after months apart. In the video above, you can see their touching reunion. This week, The National is looking at a series of pandemic-related reunions – all personal, all dramatic, all stories of people who have waited far too long to be reunited.