A wife planned a beautiful surprise for her husband who had recently emigrated to the United States, reuniting him with his "brother" who he had not seen in more than four years. Santiago Nunez, 30, and Rafael Vasquez, 40, are technically first cousins, but give given they grew up in the same house in the Dominican Republic, have always considered one another to be brothers. But for nearly half a decade, Santiago and Rafael were separated, as Rafael emigrated to Newport, Rhode Island, where he remained for the next five years, unable to return home due to a series of immigration issues. Santiago missed his "brother," talking to him on the phone to him every day and working on his own legal emigration to the United States. Then, in early February 2023, Santiago paperwork was granted, and he was able to join his wife, Natalie Campos, 32, in Coral Springs, Florida, which Santiago saw as being one step closer to his "brother." With Natalie being pregnant and unable to fly – and with Rafael still going through his own immigration process in the U.S. – Santiago thought flights between the brothers were not an option, and that it would still be some time before Rafael and Santiago would reunite. But, little did Santiago know, Rafael was still able to fly internally, and he and his wife liaised with Natalie to plan for Rafael to fly in for her baby shower. With number of family members travelling in for the occasion, Natalie headed to the airport to collect one of her cousins, who also happened to arrive around the same time as Rafael. When the 40-year-old snuck into the house on February 14, Santiago's eyes immediately it up, and he then headed in for a tearful hug with the "brother" he had been waiting to see in person for more than four years.