A grandma who raised her soldier grandson thought she was paying him a visit while he was on duty nearby – only to be bsurprised with her two-year-old great granddaughter she had never met before. Donovan Ruffin, a private first class in the United States Army, was raised by his grandma Virginia Friend after his parents were arrested when he was born. Having grown up under the watchful eye of Virginia, 81, Donovan made a pact to himself that he would eventually repay his grandma for raising him and his three siblings. At one point in his adult life, Donovan became homeless while living in Las Vegas – but Virginia was there again, he said, helping him get back on his feet from afar, from her home in Richmond, Virginia. In January 2023, Donovan, 22, joined the United States Army Reserve and found a home in Vegas. With his life back on track, he decided that he wanted his daughter, Nyla, to meet his grandmother for the first time – so he planned a trip that wouldn't make her suspicious.