A mum created a homemade 'cuddle curtain' so she could safely hug her young daughter for the first time in nine weeks.
Lara Green, 35, is a key worker and still spending time in proximity with others amid the coronavirus pandemic.
When the government suggested vulnerable people should shield at home from March, the mum-of-three made the heartbreaking decision to send severely asthmatic daughter Katie to self-isolate with her grandma Helen for 12 weeks.
But after noticing 13-year-old Katie had been feeling homesick, Lara constructed a shower curtain with arms by tightly taping clear refuse bags through holes in the plastic curtain.
After weeks apart, the mum decided to secretly surprise Katie and Helen, 65, with her creation on Monday.
She captured the tear-jerking moment on camera to look back on when she can eventually reunite with her daughter properly.
Lara, from Medway, Kent, said: "Katie went into isolation with my mum nine weeks ago because she has severe asthma - when she catches a cold, nine times out of 10 she'll end up in hospital on oxygen and it takes a few days for her to get better.
"My mum also has underlying health issues so when the government announced that vulnerable people should self-isolate and I really didn't want her and Katie to catch coronavirus.
"It was really hard but I had to make the decision for her to stay with my mum because I'm a key worker in a pre-school and still going out to do food shopping, so there's a chance of it getting into the house.
"I've never been apart from my daughter until now, and I have high and low days but recently Katie went on a bit of a dip and really wanted to come home.
"While I'd go to see Katie and my mum through the window or at the end of their garden, it's not the same as a cuddle.
"I'm very cuddly with my children so to not cuddle Katie for nine weeks or even be near her was so hard - you really start to miss the little things.
"So, I thought I'd give making a cuddle curtain a try.
"As soon as Katie held my hands through the curtain I was gone - it was the touch and feeling the heat of her hands that was amazing.
"You could have bought me a million pound present and nothing could have come close to that moment - I'll never take a cuddle for granted again."
Lara ordered a thick plastic shower curtain for £3.99 from Amazon and cut out six slots as arm holes before attaching clear refuse bags to them, and taping any gaps so it was as protected as possible.
Not wanting to leave it any longer, Lara disinfected the curtain and visited her mum's house earlier this week to surprise her by attaching it to the front door.
Lara said: "I was crying my eyes out when making the curtain but when my mum asked if I was alright I just said I was feeling a bit emotional.
"As soon as it was all ready, I told them to have their gloves and masks on and open the front door carefully.
"I was so nervous because I was worried it wouldn't work and would jeopardise the moment - as soon as Katie was standing there she was shaking too because she didn't know what it was yet."
When Lara shared the moving moment on Facebook, it unexpectedly went viral - racking up more than 9,000 views.
She has now begun planning her next cuddle curtain construction for next week's visit, which will be new and improved with stronger tape for a longer embrace with her mum and daughter.
Lara added: "I FaceTimed Katie the day after and she was all bouncy and mum said she woke up in a really good mood - she is constantly talking about the cuddle curtain, saying she really enjoyed it.
"Her younger sister Nola, nine, also had a hug with her sister through the curtain, and went to bed with a massive smile on her face.
"I videoed the moment because when the day comes where she's allowed to come home and cuddle us properly, we can look back on it, but I wasn't expecting the reaction it had on Facebook - everyone's said it's made them cry.
"My mum is supposed to isolate until July so hopefully when she can come out, Katie can come out too - but I'm glad that they have got each other at this time.
"We're always seeing negative things at the moment, with the deaths and the protests, but for five minutes on Monday we did something good and I hope it can inspire others."
