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How One Friend Request Changed This Young Mum's Life

How One Friend Request Changed This Young Mum's Life

Every cloud has a silver lining

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

Penelope Thrower was brought up by her grandparents, and thought she would never know who her mum and dad were.

Vera and John Williams started to care for Penelope when she was just a toddler, after her mum killed herself.

Throughout that time, she never thought she'd find out who her Dad was, but seven years ago one friend request changed her life. It was from a man called Tony Peacock, now 57.

Credit: Facebook

"One day, I was in the back of a friend's car on my way to work when he just added me on Facebook from nowhere," Penelope told Gazette Live.

"He sent me a message saying, 'I'm your dad'. I sat there and cried my eyes out. I didn't know if I was happy, angry or what. Not a clue.

"He rang me and my grandma and grandad said they would support me in whatever I wanted to do."

The 27-year-old is now mum to her one-and-a-half-year son, Junior Meynell, and lives in Lazenby, Redcar. She said the decision to meet her dad wasn't too difficult.

"My mum killed herself when I was 22 months old," she added. "I was brought up by my grandparents and I always grew up thinking nobody knew who my dad was.

"I just didn't think I would ever find out who he was. There was a lot of 'hearsay' but never anything solid."

Credit: Facebook

Tony said that he kept his distance so as to avoid upsetting any family members after the death of Penelope's mum.

"I followed her growing up over the years. But I didn't want to cause any trouble.

"I kept photos of her. Her mum's friends got them for me. Finally, I sent her a friend request and 'liked' one of her pictures. She asked me, 'Are you my dad?' That was how it happened."

Penelope met her musician dad when his band, Outrageous Wallpaper, were gigging at a local pub.

"I had so many questions but all really wanted was to meet him. I was terrified. I must have stood outside that pub for half an hour, full of nerves feeling sick and wondering whether just to leave it," she explained.

"I went in and in that pub was the most kind, generous and caring man I have ever known.

"I have never ever looked back and can say with absolute certainty that my decision to meet my dad was the best I have ever made."

Penelope later met her extended family which included three older brothers, a younger brother and a baby sister. She even shares the interest in music with her new family.

Sadly, every silver lining has a cloud, and Penelope lost her grandparents after just a few years, both from cancer, but upon dying in 2013, her grandma told her: 'I'm so glad you met your dad, you'll never be alone."

"She was so right," ended Penelope.

Penelope is one of many who have been reunited with long-lost family members through Facebook.

A brother and sister, kept apart for over 60 years, found each other thanks to a Facebook profile picture.

After trawling through official documents, Allan Healy found his sister, Margaret Mitchell, after posting a photo on social media.

The brother and sister went to see their mum together, who despite having Alzheimer's, claimed: "We're all together again now."

Featured Image Credit: Facebook

Topics: Facebook