A common story of 2020 is one of starting the year with plans to do something grand only to have them thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. By now, you’ve likely heard a variation of this story wherever you are in the world, localized in a way that produces a different outcome.

For Luana Lambert of Sao Paulo, the story is one of heartbreak. Last year, while studying in Canada, she met Yuya Kinouchi, a native of Yokohama whom she still refers to as “the love of my life.” The couple began living together in Toronto, and their plans for 2020 involved her meeting his family in Japan in April.

As the coronavirus spread from country to country, however, they made the difficult decision to return to their respective home countries. On March 21, they exchanged tearful goodbyes at the airport, and she has been unable to get permission to join him in Japan since.