A surprise reunion: Valentina and Suzette Quintanilla meet at the GRAMMY Museum

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Valentina made her way through the crowd, her eyes wide with excitement, as if nothing around her could stop her.

She slipped through the gaps between camera flashes and reporters’ microphones as heads turned in surprise, drawn to the determination of the 6-year-old girl moving confidently forward. Step by step, small but steady, she reached Suzette Quintanilla, sister of the late singer Selena. 

Suddenly, everything came to a halt.

“This is the best surprise ever!” Suzette said, opening her arms and wrapping Valentina in a long embrace, the kind that speaks louder than words. 

“I can’t believe it!” she said, looking into Valentina's eyes as the little girl's smile lit up her face.

Valentina had arrived just in time to see Suzette up close, carrying a special gift: a framed photo from 2025, taken when the two first met at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. 

“I met Valentina while she was receiving treatment,” Suzette explained to reporters.

Their second reunion came just hours before a historic moment at the GRAMMY Museum, where journalists continued to gather to witness the occasion. 

The museum located in Los Angeles was preparing to open an exhibition entirely dedicated to a Hispanic star: Selena. The limited-time exhibit marks the first official display of Selena’s personal artifacts outside of the Selena Museum in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas. 

“I think it is very important, and I am very proud that fans loved her and keep supporting her music and the projects that keep being created,” said Chris Pérez, Selena’s husband. “She’d be very proud.” 

Valentina explored the exhibit unable to hide her excitement, captivated by every piece of the iconic artist’s legacy she so deeply admires: the colorful outfits, the memorabilia, her Grammy awards and the musical instruments that once accompanied Selena’s band. At times, she paused in silence. Suddenly, as if the music surrounding her beckoned, she began humming a tune or dancing freely, joyful and at ease, as though no one else was there on the museum’s third floor.

On the second floor, Valentina also watched a documentary released in 2025, offering an intimate look at Selena’s life through never-before-seen footage shared by the Quintanilla family. The film celebrates the life and legacy of the groundbreaking Mexican American artist and her family band.  

As Valentina exited the museum, she posed for photos with Chris and Selena’s mother in front of a mural honoring the singer. The artwork reflects how Selena’s voice continues to inspire generations, including Valentina and her mother, Paola.

“We are living a dream here and sharing this moment so closely with the Quintanilla family,” Paola said. 

Later that evening, Valentina noticed something different about Suzette’s appearance. Without hesitation, she walked over and asked, “Did you cut your hair?”

“Yes, and I see yours has grown so much since the last time I saw you,” Suzette replied warmly. “Are you going to let it grow even longer?” 

Valentina nodded quietly and, as if she wasn’t ready to let the moment go, leaned in for another hug.

Paola said that meeting Suzette left a positive mark on her daughter. She added that the visit to the exhibit, and every moment inside the museum, became an unforgettable memory for them both. 

“Today, she feels like the most important girl in the world,” Paola said, smiling as she watched her daughter’s excitement. “She’s always talking about Selena and her family with her friends, and whenever we meet someone, she tells me, ‘Mom, show them the picture we have with Suzette.’”

A collaboration with purpose 

In 2025, as the world marked 30 years of Selena’s legacy, her family honored her by building on their longstanding support of the mission of St. Jude. According to the Quintanilla family, it is a collaboration filled with meaning. 

“I truly believe, deep in my heart, that Selena would have done this if she was here present,” Suzette said during the opening of the Los Angeles exhibit, Selena: From Texas to the World. St. Jude was also the exhibit’s partner charity. 

As part of the collaboration with the hospital, a limited-edition T-shirt honoring Selena was released with the message “This Shirt Saves Lives.” Fans can support the mission signing up to be a Partner in Hope, a monthly donor. All proceeds will go to St. Jude.

Suzette visited the St. Jude campus in Memphis, Tennessee, in April 2025. She currently serves as president and CEO of Q Productions and is the executor of her sister’s estate. 

During the visit, Suzette explained that partnering with St. Jude felt like the right way to honor her sister since “Selena was a big advocate for anything that had to do with children.” That belief, she said, grew even stronger after learning Valentina’s story. 

“It’s so meaningful to know they remember my daughter, and I’m deeply grateful for everything, for every opportunity St. Jude has given Valentina and especially for all the love she received,” Paola said as she reflected on their time at the hospital. 

In 2024, Valentina's doctors referred her to St. Jude after she was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, the most common type of kidney cancer in children.

One of Paola’s greatest worries at the time was how she would afford her daughter’s treatment. That fear quickly disappeared after arriving at the hospital and learning that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. 

Valentina’s treatment at St. Jude lasted almost a year. In September 2025, mother and daughter returned home and now travel back every three months for follow-up appointments.

At school, Valentina is an outgoing child who loves learning, dancing and singing in her performing arts classes. Still, Paola shared that her daughter misses St. Jude, where she formed strong friendships. 

“She often mentions St. Jude in her prayers. She prays for her little friends who are still in Memphis, for the nurses and doctors and for all the children there, so they can return home,” Paola said.

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