Her Mom Died While She Was Pregnant. Then Her Brother Gave Her an Incredible Gift (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Jazmine Pena and Andy Peralta.Photo:Courtesy of Andy Peralta and Jazmine Pena

Courtesy of Andy Peralta and Jazmine Pena

In anemotional TikTok, Andy Peralta surprises his sister Jazmine Pena with an extraordinary gift: a year’s worth of rent, paid in full.

“My initial reaction was a deep gasp and immediate tears … I just couldn’t believe it,” Jazmine tells PEOPLE exclusively. “That was the most thoughtful thing anybody has done for me." At the time, Jazmine was preparing to welcome her son, finding herself overwhelmed with the challenges of motherhood while mourning the loss of her own mom.

“I was thinking … what could I do for my sister where she would feel that I was still there for her on a daily basis, that she would feel I was still protecting her, watching her," Andy tells PEOPLE.

Andy’s act of generosity was more than just financial: it gave Jazmine relief during that tumultuous time. “He took the financial burden off of my shoulders, which allowed me to navigate through postpartum and being a first-time mom without worrying about how rent was going to be paid,” she shares.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Jazmine and Andy as children.Courtesy of Andy Peralta and Jazmine Pena

For Andy, his decision to pay his sister’s rent was a natural extension of the values their late mother instilled in him. “My mother had raised me to be the type of man that she wanted me to be,” he shares. “I don’t consider it a gift from me. This gift was really a gift from my mother to my sister, and I was just the instrument that delivered it.”

If the roles were reversed, Jazmine would’ve had Andy’s back without a second thought, she adds. “I’ll always choose my brother no matter the situation,” she explains. “I’ll always have his back and protect him the same way he does for me. It comes natural and I’m so blessed to have somebody I can lean on.”

Now, the siblings remain focused on their future goals. Andy is hoping Jazmine will move from New York City to California to be closer to him. He views this experience as just one step of their journey of supporting each other through life’s challenges.

“In the end, when it’s all said and done, the disputes, the disagreements and differences don’t matter," Andy says. “Life is short, and when it’s time, you want someone who knows you to hold your hand through it all. And who better than your sister or brother?”

source: people.com