An Adoption.com earlier news story shared the plight of Canadian, Claude Perras, who was stuck in Sierra Leone waiting for the Canadian government to recognize the legalized adoption of his daughter, Ella, so he could bring her home.

Finally, after months of waiting and navigating all the “red tape,” Perras got the news by phone that citizenship has been granted to 19-month-old Ella. But it’s not completely over yet. Ella still needs a visa to travel to Canada. Perras has applied and asked for it to be expedited, but it will still take a couple of weeks. Even still, a couple of weeks isn’t long at all when compared to the wait he’s already endured.

That endurance included 50 days of seeking refuge during the Ebola outbreak. Perras and Ella were able to escape to Cape Verde during that time because no visa was required for Ella. Nevertheless, it was a scary time.

More about Ella and her new family may be read at the Montreal Gazette.