MONTREAL - A reunion a long time in the making finally took place early Wednesday morning, as Elenor Diaz ran into a loving embrace with her husband and three children who arrived in Montreal thanks to the generosity of a local businessman.

Diaz moved away from the Philippines in 1997 with her husband Nilo to go work in Israel, leaving two children behind.

While in Israel, Elenor and Nilo had a third child before moving back home, only to have Elenor move to Canada four years ago on her own.

She worked three jobs as a nanny, at a senior's residence and at a hotel in the hopes of one day bringing her family to Montreal to join her.

She finally saved up $4,000 this year, but says she was scammed by a Manila travel agency which took her cash payment and promptly closed, leaving the Diaz family with cancelled plane tickets when they arrived at the airport for the Christmas Day flight.

The tragic tale garnered national media attention, and also struck a chord with Montreal businessman Larry Modafferi, who ultimately paid over $5,000 to buy four new plane tickets for the Diaz family to finally be re-united.

It was supposed to happen late Tuesday night, but Nilo and his three kids missed a connecting flight in Vancouver, pushing it to very early Wednesday morning.

But finally, after four years, the reunion took place.

When Elenor saw her family from outside the baggage claim for domestic flights she just couldn't wait any longer, running full tilt into the restricted area into a loving embrace with her husband and three kids, Neil John, 19, Neil Princess, 16, and Neil Joshua, 8.

"We are very thankful," Nilo Diaz said. "Especially here, all the people who help us, and the Canadian people here."

Elenor brought winter clothes to the airport to help her family absorb the bitter shock of a Canadian winter, but it had been so long since she saw her 8-year-old son, the clothes were a bit too small.

"They are small because of long, long years," she said. "I don't know their sizes."

Regardless of the ill-fitting winter gear, Neil Joshua quickly took to his new winter environment, throwing snowballs outside his mother's apartment, which is now his new home.

Elenor was overwhelmed with how her nightmare came to a joyous conclusion.

"I want to give a hug and embrace to Canadians," she said. "Because they don't know me but they don't hesitate to help me."



