My husband has a friend since childhood. Lovely man who around five years ago became withdrawn and not himself. He was always funny and gregarious but now very much alone with no wife and children and considered himself a loser in life despite having done very well for himself financially.
He had some very personal conversations with us about feeling lonely and missing out on children and or grandchildren as all his peers now had.
He had been married and had a child and was very happy until his son was around 12/13 years old and the wife tipped their world upside down by declaring the son was not his and she wanted a divorce. The son did indeed turn out not be his.
Huge devastation at the time and all contact ended with son as she remarried and moved abroad.
All attempts legally and through various family and friends channels to try and see ‘his boy’ were blocked and many people were unkind telling him to give up as it wasn’t his son!
He got on with life, stiff upper lip and all that and whilst he enjoyed the success he was always wary of getting married again and missed the opportunity to have children whilst young.
Fast forward over twenty years and he starts feeling really down about his situation.
He doesn’t think he was suicidal but one night he sat at home alone reminiscing about the boy he lost and what might have been. The lowest he has ever felt.
At this very low ebb he received a message on FB from the boy. Now a man and with children of his own.
He likes to think that message was his miracle and sent to save him from descending into depression.
The boy had never forgotten him but had been told as he was no relation he must never contact who he thought was his dad as his dad didn’t want to know him now he knew he wasn’t his. All lies from the mother who is now dead.
To cut a long story short they are reunited and he now has his son back and go all intents and purposes they are father and son and now of course, grandfather. The bond between them is a joy to behold.