DENVER – What would you do if something so valuable and meaningful to you that you lost 17 years ago was suddenly given back?
Noel Datko lost his class ring in 1999 during his senior year in San Antonio.
Through the power of social media, his ring was returned to him after nearly two decades.
"My grandfather and my family came together back in 1999 to get me this class ring," Datko said. "It was something that was very special to me because they all pulled together $200 to do it."
In 1999, $200 was a lot of money to Datko’s family.
"That ring just meant so much to me, especially because of my grandfather," Datko said. "I maybe had it only for six months and it vanished."
In 17 years, Datko went to college, met the love of his life and had two beautiful children.
"All of a sudden, I open Facebook and people I haven’t spoken to in 17 years were contacting me," Datko said. "I opened a post they brought to me and there was my ring!"
Datko’s wife, Lindsay, decided to take matters into her own hands and contact the woman who had the ring.
"She had this Facebook post up for only three hours looking for the owner before it got to Noel," Lindsay said.
According to the Datkos, the woman held onto the ring for ten years waiting for the right time to try and find the owner.
"I was shocked I got it back," Datko said. "I thought I would never see it again. But it means so much to get it back, especially for my grandfather who isn’t with us anymore. It’s the little things in life that matter. The connections and memories we make with the people we love."