A granddaughter’s picture of her grandparents’ heartfelt goodbye is being shared around the internet, hopefully shedding light on the reason they were forced to part ways.
The picture is of Wolf and Anita Gottschalk of Surrey B.C. who have been married for 62 years, according to CNN. They were recently admitted to separate nursing homes, breaking them apart for the past eight months.
The pair’s grandmother, Ashley Bartyik, told CNN that she tries to help her grandparents visit each other every other day but the drive alone takes forty minutes.
Bartyik says the picture depicting the pair’s sorrow at parting is nothing new. Every time they are forced to leave each other, the situation becomes emotional.
"It's an emotional outburst from both of them," Bartyik told CNN.
While the pair’s goodbyes are heart wrenching to watch for most, Bartyik’s intent on posting the picture was to bring the light the reason as to why they are no longer living together.
Wolf Gottschalk, 83, was placed into Yale Road Centre after suffering from congestive heart failure while Anita, 81, remains in a home 40 minutes away.
"We want justice for my grandparents who after 62 years together deserve to spend their last moments in the same building," her post reads.
In addition to his heart issues, Wolf suffers from dementia and lymphoma and Bartyik is afraid his memory could soon fade.
"The time is ticking now more than ever before," she told CNN.
"This is a heartbreaking situation for the family, and it's quite upsetting for us as well," a spokeswoman for Fraser said, "We are committed to reuniting the couple and we hope to do so within the next few weeks."
