A man who fell ill after he lost a family ring has been reunited with it by a kind-hearted stranger.
Tommy Mangan became so ill he stopped eating after losing the ring that was given to him by his nan more than 50 years ago.
Tommy's younger sister Jennie Odger told the ECHO he was nearly crying when he told her that he no longer had the ring and in the following weeks lost over a stone.
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But the 74-year-old was reunited with the signet ring after a stranger contacted Jennie saying she had found it and handed it in at Tommy's local shop.
The signet ring was given to Tommy by his nan 54 years ago and it holds an enormous amount of sentimental value.
Sister Jennie knew something was wrong when she visited her brother's accommodation at the start of January.
She told the ECHO she had to press Tommy over why he seemed so distant and not interested in speaking or eating.
The 55-year-old from Speke said: "It was about the beginning of January and I noticed something was different.
"He seemed distant and not interested in speaking with me and I asked what was wrong.
"He said he'd lost his ring and he was nearly crying.
"It upset him so much he stopped eating, stopped going out.
"I took him to the doctors and they said he'd lost a stone.
"He just lay there on the couch like he'd given up."
Jennie had asked around in search of the ring and as a last resort wrote in the Speke Past & Present Facebook page.
Soon after posting, Jennie was contacted by a woman called Angela who said she had handed in a ring that matched the description at the Colin Sykes Nisa Local store.
After visiting the store and correctly identifying the ring to the manager, Jennie returned it back to an ecstatic Tommy on January 21.
She said: "As soon as I got it I put it on my own finger and took it over to our Tommy's.
"He was sitting there all miserable so I told him I had a surprise for him.
"I showed him my finger and it was like someone had turned a light switch on inside of him.
"He was over the moon and has now started eating and socialising once again.
"He hadn't been out since he'd lost the ring.
"My brother Tony and I took him to watch the match yesterday over a pint."
Jennie said Tommy moved back to Liverpool last year after living in Birmingham.
She said since he's been back she sees him every day and enjoys the time she now gets to spends with him and Tony.
Jennie said her family are indebted to the good will of Angela, before adding she is going to take flowers to the kind-hearted stranger.
She added: "We're indebted to her.
"When we took him to the pub yesterday everyone was so pleased to see him.
"I honestly think if the ring hadn't been found it would have ended up killing him.
"I just can't believe someone answered my prayers and returned it back to us."
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