Grandmother freed by Trump after reality star's appeal: 'This is not the end for me'

Alice Johnson, left, speaks on Good Morning America

The great-grandmother whose sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump after an Oval Office meeting with a reality-TV star has a message for Trump.

"I’d like to tell President Trump that I am so grateful for everything that you’ve done for me and my family," Alice Johnson, 63, said Thursday on "Good Morning America." "This moment right now is happening because President Trump had mercy on me."

Kim Kardashian West met with Trump in the White House last month to advocate for a pardon for Johnson.

"Best News Ever!!" the reality-TV star tweeted of the news of Johnson's release, later adding additional thanks to the administration for its efforts.

Johnson said she and Kardashian West had a "heart connection" once the reality-TV star reached out after seeing a video about Johnson's story on social media.

"From the very first, when Kim heard about my story and we connected, we truly had a heart connection with this," Johnson said. "She told me that she knew that this was meant to be."

She continued, "When I just popped up on her phone, she said it was a moment where she knew that this is a moment. This is a person that she needs to do something [for]."

Johnson had an emotional reunion with her family Wednesday outside the prison in Aliceville, Alabama, where she served.

Alice Johnson reunites with her family

"It was the most exhilarating feeling I’ve ever had," said Johnson, who spoke to "GMA" in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside one of her daughters, Catina. "I wanted to jump into their arms."

Alice Johnson reunites with her family

'This is not the end for me'

After reuniting with her family, Johnson said, she plans to spend her time advocating for changes in the prison system.

"I plan on continue to work hard to use my case as an example for prison reform and sentencing reform to make a difference," she said. "When you see my face, you see so many other faces that I represent."

Johnson added, "This is not the end for me."

When asked whether she had paid her debt to society, Johnson replied that she had "overpaid" her debt.

"I feel that I have not only paid my debt, but I’ve overpaid my debt for the crime that I committed," she said. "I’m not bitter about it. I’m just happy that it has come to an end."

ABC News has the original story