Navaz Ebrahim is from Iran and now lives in Texas. Her sister and brother-in-law died in the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crash. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. Read more opinion on CNN.

(CNN) Living in Dallas for the past six years, I have ached to see my only sibling, Niloufar. There were days we missed each other so much that I almost wanted to give up my life in Dallas just to go and see her, but I knew if I left, I might not be able to come back to be here with my husband. I had to wait for my immigration case to process before I could visit them, and Niloufar couldn't come see me because of the recent US travel restrictions for Iranians.

I remember the day when I realized I couldn't go to Niloufar's civil marriage ceremony to my brother-in-law Saeed in London, where they lived; I cried.

Before my sister got married and before the travel ban, she tried getting a travel visa to come and see me in 2014 to attend my graduation ceremony. At the time, because she was single and in between jobs, she couldn't convince the consulate officer that she had much of an emotional tie to return to Iran, which is what she intended to do. The visa was not granted.

Saeed and Niloufar at their civil wedding ceremony in London in 2019. Niloufar's parents, Shahin Shakooea and Masood Ebrahim, are standing behind them as Navaz joins in on FaceTime.

Because of this long separation, I cherished the moments we spent together on the phone. Every morning when I was going to work, I FaceTimed Niloufar just to hear her voice and see her pretty face and to ask her how her day was going. That was my positive energy and what kept me going. She kept asking how many more months I thought we would have to wait before we could see each other. I knew it would take a few more years, but I hid what I feared was the truth -- that it would be a very long time -- from her for a while because I couldn't break her heart.

But I had hope for better days to come. I knew one day I could go when all the travel complications were resolved. I kept telling myself that it was OK that I missed this moment or that moment with her because I was motivated with the hope of celebrating her future beautiful moments with her, like cuddling their future children and sharing that joy with her instead.

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