151 laura ruffino met her best friend liz diamond in the fifth grade as adults they both had children two girls for ruffino and four girls for diamond and kept their tight bond ruffino told abc news but in august 2014 diamond a single mom from orchard park new york was diagnosed with brain cancer ruffino said she died just months later when we got in the car she asked me if anything ever happened if id take her daughters and i said of course ruffino said it wasnt even a thought sisters separated by adoption reunite by chance at college and now celebrate graduation with birth mother soldier surprise 2 girls get heartfelt reunion with dad husband and wife fighting cancer get dream vacation ruffino is now seeking custody of diamonds daughters who are living with her but diamonds exhusband elyson pagayonan appeared in court to contest the ruffinos permanent custody of his children according to leonard berkowitz a lawyer for the ruffinos pagayonan has not filed papers for custody of his children according to the lawyer laura ruffino said that one morning in december diamond wasnt feeling well and called ruffino to take her to the cancer center its like your whole world comes to a halt said ruffino from buffalo new york that day her mri was not good ruffino said when diamond asked her to take care of her children according to ruffino she obliged i would always want someone to do that for me her kids and i were so close anyway because she was my best friend i wanted to give her peace ruffino said i cant even imagine what she had to be going through ruffino said it was a slow transition for diamonds girls ages 5 7 8 and 12 to move in with the ruffinos as liz got sicker she and the girls would stay with us for periods of time ruffino said in april 2015 diamond passed away ruffino said shed describe her best friend as love she was nonjudgmental liz was my person she said that person that you could be anyone in front of would never judge you which i think is so rare in life to find ruffinos husband rico said the girls are doing awesome theyre all going through a difficult situation but theyre doing really really well considering theyre great kids he said adding that theyre my kids now and laura ruffino said the girls including her 12 and 13yearold daughters are all best friends and already sisters they fight they share clothes all those things laura ruffino said efforts to reach pagayonan were unsuccessful and messages left with his lawyer were not returned theyre living with the family they know berkowitz told abc news of the children it would be inhuman for them to be ripped from the only parents they now know pagayonan and diamond divorced about four years ago according to berkowitz patricia kaminski diamonds aunt from