A young Cuban woman, identified on TikTok as @ariatna.moreno, touched the hearts of hundreds of social media users after sharing a video in which she breaks down in tears upon opening a package sent by her mother from Cuba for her birthday.
In the images, the young woman holds a dress and a pair of white sneakers that her mother sent her from the island. Upon seeing and smelling the dress, she cannot hold back her tears, expressing through sobs how much she misses her mother.
"I received a gift from my mother in Cuba for my birthday. What a great pain, how I miss you, my beautiful old lady," she wrote alongside the video, which quickly went viral due to the emotional weight and nostalgia reflecting the family separation experienced by many Cubans.
The brief clip reflects the reality of thousands of Cuban families divided by migration, where the simplest gestures, such as a gift or a piece of clothing that smells like home, become powerful symbols of love and distance.
Currently, the high costs and logistical challenges of sending packages from Cuba make these gestures even more significant.
For many emigrants, receiving something from the island—especially from their parents or grandparents—becomes an act filled with emotions and memories.
The post sparked a wave of comments from other Cubans who identified with the story. Among the most notable messages were:
"That's something you don't see anymore, families in Cuba sending someone instead of always being the one to send. So you are lucky." "The distance hurts too much. Oh, what pain." "I ask for my son's clothes unwashed so I can smell him," or "My mom sent me one of her sweaters, and the first thing I did was smell it. It's the one I wear the most."
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