Granddaughter's voicemails for grandmother span 14 years in viral video
The video shows moments from "I just got a new scooter" to "I just got the job."
ByMason Leib
February 2, 2024, 3:33 PM
While missed calls and subsequent voicemails can oftentimes present themselves as missed opportunities, one Massachusetts granddaughter found a way to weave them together into a heartfelt video that has gone viral.
Pailey Baczek stitched together a collection of voicemails that she left her grandmother Joan Johnson, spanning 14 years from the age of 3 to the age of 17. Baczek posted the emotional collage of memories on TikTok late last year once she discovered them.
"I didn't know my grandmother had those recordings," Baczek said to "Good Morning America."
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Baczek, 22, said she posted it on her TikTok account so she could have a place to save the video. Shortly after, she discovered the video had gone viral. To this point, the video has amassed over 3 million views and over 400,000 likes on the platform.
The touching collage highlights small life events from "I just got a new scooter" to "I just got the job." As Baczek's voice matures, so does her life and ambitions.
"She's my only granddaughter, so she's really, really important to me. And saving those voice messages, I just thought it would be a nice thing to do. And she'd always be able to hear them," Johnson said to "GMA."
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Baczek reiterated the close relationship, something that is evident by the sweet phone calls.
"We lived in the same house together…so my grandmother has always been like my next door neighbor and someone I can always come to for anything," Baczek said.
The video captures small moments in time from Baczek's childhood, where the love of family is ever apparent. In one instance, she asks if her grandmother is available to come over and watch "G-Force," a children's movie, with her.
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"If you get this message, tell my mom that I love her," asks Baczek of her grandmother in another.
Baczek noted that the video exemplified the power of voices in conveying humanity.
"Voices are super important to listen to, you know, it captures that one little moment," she said. "It really encompasses like the person themselves."
Johnson said the video and accompanying response emphasized an important lesson.
"I think the little things are really precious. We should all hold them dear," she said.