CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An incredible reunion happened at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Friday between a father and the daughter he has desperately been trying to save for years.
When Hala Ziad Kheldoon got off her flight and found her father, they held on to each other, tears streaming down their faces.
It had been nearly three years since Ziad Kasim has been able to hold his daughter.
"Wow, we made it, we made it," Kheldoon said through tears.
Their story starts back in 2006, when Kasim began risking his life to help American troops in Baghdad.
When militant groups started suspecting the Iraqi father, they came for him.
"They tried to kill me several times, they tried to hurt my family, they displaced me from my place, they burned my house," explained Kasim.
Kasim was granted a special visa to enter the U.S. because of his service for our troops. He brought his wife and son to safety nearly three years ago, but he was stunned when his daughter wasn't allowed to follow because she was older than 21.
All this time she has been living undercover, dodging death because the militants who tried to kill her father wouldn't hesitate to hurt her.
Kheldoon described what would've happened if she was caught.
"Kidnapping, torturing then killed," he said.
Over the past few years, Kasim has desperately exhausted every resource to bring her to the U.S.
His last option, the International Organization for Migration, granted her refugee status.
Kheldoon was able to arrive in Charlotte on Friday.
"It's worth it. It's worth the fight," Kheldoon said.
After a three-year fight and a two-day flight, Kheldoon is finally home.
"I'm just thinking of having cup of coffee, then sleep three days almost," she said with a smile.
Determined to stay strong, the family members rocked by heartache held on to hope until they could hold onto each other.
Cox Media Group
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