Woman accidentally received letter from King and knew she had to find rightful 100-year-old recipient—a text made it happen
Each of us knows how special it is to receive letters, messages or gestures from another. They’re important to us and make a difference in our lives. If these gestures come from someone as important as King Charles III, it’s sure to leave a memorable mark. Dianne Johnson was shocked to receive a letter signed by the royals, ABC News revealed. However, when she looked closer, she realized that the letter didn’t belong to her. It was addressed to a 100-year-old woman named Thelma Patty. Realizing that it accidentally made its way to her, she was determined to get the prestigious note to its rightful recipient. As she brainstormed how to make that happen, a text paved the way to set things right.
Johnson learned that the letter was addressed to Patty for a rather special reason — her 100th birthday. "We got a letter from the King, the Governor-General, and the Premier," Ms Johnson said. Offering greetings, the letters couldn’t be more special. While she wanted to send them back to Patty as soon as possible, the centenarian was a stranger and the woman had no idea how to find her. Going through the official process seemed risky. "I didn't know how long it would take to get redirected, or it was just too important," she said. So, she took the onus of returning the letters by herself with all the help she could get.
She pondered how to fix the problem in a reliable and quick manner and stumbled upon an idea. "I just had a moment where I thought, 'Well, maybe I could contact the ABC and they could help me,’” the woman recalled. Taking a shot at her idea, she dropped a text to ABC Sunshine Coast’s Breakfast Program. "Such an amazing milestone and I wondered if you could call out to try and locate her," she wrote in her text. Johnson had sent the mission to the right hands. Her text began the beautiful process of uniting strangers to ensure the letters reached Patty. The organization was delighted to help and just as one would hope, the news of the letters was reaching its intended recipient. A woman named Lorraine Kelty heard the news on the radio and realized the name felt familiar.
She quickly discovered that she knew Patty’s sister, through church. "I thought, 'Oh my goodness, if she's missed a letter from the King, that's pretty important.’ I thought I'd better ring up and so I did,” Kelty remarked. She was able to connect Johnson and Patty’s sister, and before they knew it, the notes were in the hands of the centenarian herself. She found it to be a “surprise” to receive the prestigious letters and was grateful for them. Speaking of her age and how she managed to live to 100, she credited her mother, who lived to be 103. Johnson noted that the accidental mix-up of the addresses was inexplicable, as she had been living there for 20 years and Patty had never lived in the area. Nevertheless, she was happy that the letters made their way to her and was grateful to have come across the mission.
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