A 23-year-old woman from Arkansas who lost her father four years ago but kept on texting his phone every day in order to share the news of her life, received an unexpected surprise one day when got a response from a bereaved man who lost his own daughter in a car accident.
Chastity Patterson of Newport messaged her father’s old phone number the night before the fourth anniversary of his passing.
‘Hey Dad, it’s ME. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day again!’ Patterson wrote, not expecting an answer.
After sending numerous messages regarding her father’s death and mentioning her achievements including her college graduation and beating cancer, she received an unexpected reply from a man named Brad who lost his own daughter back in 2014.
Chastity sent a long text on the evening of the four-year anniversary of her father’s death and received an answer for the first time.
The mysterious man named Brad answered saying he had been reading her texts every day and lost his own daughter in a terrible car accident five years ago.
She shared the heartwarming exchange on Facebook, writing:
‘I text my dad everyday to let him know how my day goes, for the past four years! Today was my sign that everything is okay and I can let him rest!’
Her post quickly went viral and has now been shared 284,000 times.
‘Hi sweetheart, I am not your father, but I have been getting all your messages for the past four years. I look forward to your morning messages and your nightly updates. My name is Brad and I lost my daughter in a car wreck August 2014 and your messages kept me alive. When you text me, I know it’s a message from God,’ Brad texted.
‘I’m sorry you lost someone so close to you, but I have listened to you over the years and I have watched you grow and go through more than anyone. I have wanted to text you back for years, but I didn’t want to break your heart,’ he said.
Brad praised Chastity for her accomplishments, calling her his own ‘angel’ after he lost his child in a car crash.
‘You are an extraordinary woman and I wish my daughter would have become the woman you are, thank you for your everyday updates, you remind me that there is a God and it wasn’t his fault that my little girl is gone,’ he said.
‘He gave me you, my little angel and I knew this day was coming. Everything will be okay, you to push yourself everyday and shine the light God gave you. I’m sorry you have to go through this, but if it makes it any better, I am very proud of you.
Shocked and deeply touched, Chastity shared her experience with the world.
She captioned her post:
‘I text my dad everyday to let him know how my day goes, for the past Four years! Today was my sign that everything is okay and I can let him rest!’
After capturing the hearts of thousands of people around the globe, Chastity shared another post explaining that her father Jason Ligons was not her true father but was the patriarch figure in her life who looked after her since she was a little child.
‘He never missed a school dance, prom, my games and YES he would give me long talks about my mouth and attitude. I had to introduce my boyfriends to him (If I was allowed to date) and he would act like a normal dad and give us the long talk,’ she wrote.
‘I’ve cried with him, told him everything and even became very independent because he took the time to love me and show me what happiness looks like. SO YES Jason was my father but he was a role model for many kids in our town,’ she added.
‘I shared my messages for my friends and family to see that there is a God and it might take 4 years, but he shows up right on time!’ she concluded.
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