Since joining girl scouts on either sides of the Atlantic Ocean in 1955, 80-year-olds Patsy Gregory and Carol-Ann Krause have exchanged letters.

They continued to communicate with one other for more than 800 letters, always remembering each other’s birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and holidays.

However, until Patsy mentioned to her daughter Steph that she’d always wanted to see Carol-Ann, who was then residing in Conway, South Carolina, they had never really met.

She was thus delighted when her family gave her a ticket to the United States for her birthday in June of this year, enabling her to travel 4,000 miles for the long-overdue reunion.

On July 14, Patsy gave Carol-Ann a warm embrace and claimed to have recognized her the moment she opened the door.

In an interview, Patsy from Lancashire County, England said, ‘It was quite emotional, it was lovely.’ ‘I felt excited rather than nervous. Being able to finally meet her was wonderful.

‘Because we had known each other for so long, it was just like I had seen her last week.’

America’s Carol-Ann admitted she was a little more nervous about their initial face-to-face encounter after Steph asked her about the visit prior to Patsy’s birthday.

When Patsy started writing to Carol-Ann, she was just 12 years old. The two discussed their daily activities.

At the time, Carol-Ann was residing in Buffalo, New York, and Patsy said that she had been particularly interested in learning more about the teen’s life in the country.

Using the British nickname for the girl scouts, Patsy recalled, ‘In the girl guides, I happened to obtain Carol-Ann’s name. ‘We got going on our writing and never stopped. That’s all there is to it.

The information I learned about her life was very fascinating. Of course, the weather had a significant role. The Great Lakes were nearby where she resided.

‘We would write about our plans for the day, our experiences at school, anything else that was happening,

our plans for the future, our friends, or anything else. Just like you would with a neighboring friend, we were exchanging news, said Patsy.

The details of their letters evolved along with their lives. Patsy got hitched in 1964, and Carol-Ann did the same in 1965.

They both had three children, and although continuing to correspond over the years—each mailing the other an average of 400 letters—they never ever met in person.

Before Carol-Ann turned 80 on June 6th, Patsy said she told her daughter Steph that she had always wanted to meet her.

Steph then utilized social media to find Carol-Ann’s family in the United States and inquire about setting up a meet-up there.

Carol-Ann stated, ‘Her daughter said she wanted to surprise her mother with a gift of travelling to the United States to see me as it’s something she has

always wanted to do. ‘I was more than glad to accept her invitation. Only one month separates the dates of our birthdays.

She claimed that throughout their trip, they spent hours chatting about their friendship while also taking in the sights and dining at restaurants

that Carol-Ann and her husband liked to frequent. This was all done as if they had only been apart for a few years, so close was their bond, she claimed.