back to Syria.”

Malak Assaf became resigned to the idea that her parents would be shut out of her adopted country: “I lost hope about my parents ever coming to the United States,” she said.

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Rastanawi, 73, and Assaf, 76, spent 2017 moving from place to place in Jordan. They “hated ourselves,” Rastanawi said, because they had no sense of security. The couple both have medical issues and could not work. There was a glimmer of hope last year, when the couple had an additional interview with U.S. authorities.

Rastanawi was riding a bus to pick up diabetes medication in March when she got the phone call telling her that she and her husband were eligible to come to the United States. She immediately called her daughter. It was 4 a.m.in Indianapolis, and Malak Assaf was so excited she couldn’t go back to sleep.

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The process moved quickly: the couple had to go to a hospital the next morning for a medical exam, pack their bags, pick up medication and get ready for a new life.

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The couple arrived at the Indianapolis airport on March 23. Malak Assaf waited with 13 family members, including her three children and three brothers. The moment the group saw the couple, who were using wheelchairs, the family swarmed them, showering them with hugs and kisses. Rastanawi and her husband began to cry.

Rastanawi said the reunion was bittersweet. She still has children in Syria and Jordan, and a son was killed in the conflict. But she and her husband are thrilled to begin their new