Ruffa Gutierrez’s daughter, Lorin has opened up on her feelings about reuniting with their father, Yilmaz Bektas, stressing that the days she recently spent in Turkey was the “most monumental moments” of her life.
In a vlog posted on her Youtube channel on Monday, July 18, Lorin shared video clips of her and her sister, Venice while spending quality time with their father and their older half-sister, Iknaz Bektas, in the cities of Istanbul and Antalya, after 15 years of being apart.
While reflecting on her mother and father’s separation, she explained that she decided to publicly share their reunion, as she wanted to prove that “healing” estranged family relationships was possible.
READ: Ruffa Gutierrez opens up about her ‘traumatic married life’
“There were definitely moments in my life where I was convinced— I didn’t know when I was going to see my father’s side again. I didn’t know if I was ever gonna touch Turkey, ” Lorin said.
She admitted that she would have had a hard time believing if she was told five years ago that she would be on “good speaking terms” with her father and her Turkish relatives, and that her father and mother would eventually enter a “new chapter of co-parenting.”
“Obviously there was a lot of hurt for 15 years, but my mindset is that ‘the past is the past’ there’s really nothing we can do to alter or change it,” Lorin said.
“There’s a lot for me on that side of my family to catch up on and there’s a lot more growing to do and a lot more time to be spent and a lot more years to try and get back, but it’s never too late,” she continued.
Reflecting on her experiences, Lorin stressed how she is currently now doing things that a younger her “would have really appreciated and would have really loved” and shared a short yet emotional message of assurance she wanted to say to her younger self.
“You will see your baba again, you will be in Turkey again, you will see your older sister again,” she said.
READ: Ruffa Gutierrez’s daughters reunite with their dad after 15 years
Lorin also addressed those who share a similar experience of navigating through an estranged family relationship.
“It is possible to heal those relationships, it is possible to move forward, it is possible to grow. Even when it feels like it’s impossible, the right people will come back into your life in God’s perfect timing,” she said
“It is possible and it is never too late to heal these connections,” she added.
Lorin’s parents, Ruffa and Yilmaz, were married for four years before separating in 2007. The two had their marriage annulled in 2012.
Prior to their reunion this year, Ruffa’s daughters had not seen their father, who has been based in Istanbul, since their parents’ separation.
Lorin and Venice, however, have been keeping in touch with Yilmaz despite being away from each other.
