On Mother's Day, Tina Martino finally confirmed the news she was so desperate to hear — the body of her son Nazzareno Tassone, who died battling ISIS militants, was coming home.

Tassone, 24, left Edmonton last June. He was killed on Dec. 21 in Raqqa, Syria, while fighting with the Kurdish People's Defense Units, also known as the YPG.

His body was reportedly seized by ISIS militants and Kurdish forces have been negotiating to get him back ever since, while his mother made emotional pleas for his return.

On Saturday, Martino received a message from a YPG soldier in Syria, telling her they had retrieved her son's body.

"I can honestly say that for the first time in a long time my chest is calm, the anxieties have subsided," she told CBC News Monday, describing the feeling as unbelievable.

The news came just a week before Tassone's family planned to finally hold a memorial. Martino had originally agreed to it to give her family closure.

But with only his backpack and journal retrieved from the battlefield, Martino continued to put off setting a date. She finally settled on May 20, still holding out hope for the news she received Saturday, and confirmed with the Toronto Kurdish community a day later.

They'll now reschedule the memorial after Tassone is repatriated, likely sometime in the next two weeks, Martino has been told.

"It's going to be harder than the memorial service that I was having," said Martino. "But at least I'll know that I'll finally have closure."

Image | Tina Martino

Caption: Tina Martino said she confirmed on Mother's Day that the YPG had retrieved her son's body from ISIS. (CBC)

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It's been a difficult five months but Martino said the YPG and Kurdish community in Toronto have been with her every step of the way: breaking the news, checking in, rescuing his body and covering the costs of his return.

"I am just touched that they never gave up," said Martino. "The YPG fought and they believed … They say it's an honour to do this and I should be honoured for them doing it."

She added: "I was told that, the Kurds, they don't know the words, 'I can't,' 'I won't' and 'no.' They don't use those words. They use the words, 'we will,' 'we can' and 'we know.' "

Martino said she still has questions she hopes will be answered in the coming days, including how they finally managed to get her son back.

Global Affairs Canada shared few details, citing privacy reasons, but said it is providing consular assistance to the family.

Albertan Shaelynn Jabs, 20, is also in Syria fighting with the Kurdish forces.

andrea.huncar@cbc.ca @andreahuncar