Woman shares first exchange with dad she thought was dead for 31 years

A woman went viral on TikTok for sharing her first text exchange with her dad, after believing he was dead for 31 years.

Sharnee thought her biological dad had passed away after her family led her to believe so from a young age. In reality, he turned out to be alive and well.

The mom from Christchurch, New Zealand, spent “years and years” conducting research before she came across a man named Noel on Facebook, who she believed to be her dad.

She shared a screen recording of their Facebook Messenger exchange on TikTok.

“Hi, this is a random question and [I] apologize for intruding. Did you travel to New Zealand in 1990?” she began the first message.

“Hiya. How you doing?” the man from Wales replied. “Yes, lived there twice, Sharnee. Who are you?”

After some back and forth, Sharnee inquired about his time spent in Christchurch in the 1990s, acknowledging her question seemed “odd” and “personal.”

“When you were living here, Christchurch/New Zealand. Did you sleep with any women?” she asked him. “My mother, who I deeply and dearly love has given me your name and so I’ve done years and years and years of research and you fit all these descriptions.

“I’m so very sorry that this all seems very strange!” she added.

Noel said he found the message “intriguing,” and asked if her mother’s name was Dale. He then confirmed that he remembered Sharnee’s mom, sharing details about her that only Sharnee would likely know.

“This is all so so crazy, so so crazy. I’m, shaking, I’m crying. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Yes Dale is my mum! Holy moly,” she replied.

When asked if he knew anything about her existence, Noel said “no” apologetically, before the video cut off. The clip went viral with 12.2 million views, with TikTok users in the comments hoping the two would meet up soon.

Sharnee has since started a fundraiser in an attempt to raise enough money to finally meet her alleged biological father, who she says has spoken to her every day since they connected.