Sometimes, we can lose items that are very dear to us. And in those times, we realize and come to terms with the idea that there may be a chance we will ever discover it again.
But miracles do happen from time to time, as is the case of Mary Strand, a Minnesota woman whose anniversary ring was returned to her after it was flushed down the toilet 13 years ago.
The Day a Woman’s Precious Ring Got Lost
While in her home's bathroom, Strand noticed that her ring had slipped off of her finger, falling into the toilet.
“It was swirling around. I truly dove for it, and it went down the drain,” she told NBCNews affiliate KARE 11.
Her ring was gifted to her by her husband, Dave, on their 33rd wedding anniversary, and she believed that he would “never” purchase another ring as a gift for her.
“I felt really bad because it was a gift,” Strand added.
The Dazzling Discovery One Man Made in the Debris
Flashback to March of this year, John Tierney, a mechanical maintenance manager for The Metropolitan Council's wastewater treatment plants in Rogers, and fellow employees were excavating the debris when they spotted Strand's sparkling diamond ring.
Realizing that the ring was crafted distinctively, Tierney and the employees believed that their quest to return the ring would most likely result in some leads. As a result, the Metropolitan Council took to Twitter to share their "needle in a haystack" find.
"This is a rare occurrence, and we want to return the ring to its owner!" they wrote in a March 31 tweet, accompanied by a cartoon drawing of a diamond ring in a haystack.
"Please contact us if you lost a wedding ring down the drain."
How One Stranger Brought Back a Woman’s Treasure
Just as expected, hundreds of phone calls flooded into the plant in response to the news that came from people who were informed to share photos of the ring.
Officials involved noted that there was "only one" dazzler that closely matched what was seen among the debris. It was the exact one that belonged to Strand.
Two local jewelers also confirmed that the photo of Strand's ring alongside the ring discovered was a match.
Not too long after that, the ring was recovered from the plant -- which is remarkably situated on a road called Diamond Lake.
How fitting!
Elsewhere, KARE 11 said that she would be resetting the ring to fit her size as she gears up for her 46th anniversary with the love of her life.
