Women shocked by response to text she sent to dead dad’s phone

By Ottilie Von Henning via SWNS

A woman was left in complete shock after she received a response to a message she had sent to her late dad's phone.

Nilufar (Nelly) Nizam, 26, had her life turned upside down when her father Murad Nizam, 51, died unexpectedly in January last year.

Medical examiners uncovered that his heart suddenly stopped but were not able to find the cause.

To cope with the loss of her father, Nelly began texting his phone simply to update him on her life and tell him how much she missed him.

However, five months after his death, Nelly's heart dropped when she received a response.

Nelly, who's originally from Uzbekistan but now lives in New York City, said: "I had just finished therapy and was sitting in my car typing out a text.

"As soon as I hit send and saw the bubble, I realized what had happened."

Nelly's dad's phone number had been reassigned and the new owner had responded to her message.

The message read: "Oh my I'm so sorry."

Nelly, in shock, texted back right away to apologize.

She said: "I didn't want to concern them too much or freak them out but luckily they understood."

Texting her dad had become a way for Nelly to manage her grief whilst still staying connected to her father.

Nelly said: "I lost my mind when it first happened, especially that first month I was just in shock.

"But when I started texting him, it brought me comfort.

"I would just talk about regular stuff in my life and update him on stuff from by brother as well.

"My brother, who is 19, was the apple of my dad's eye so I know it would mean a lot to hear how he's doing.

"I'd also text him on the 17th of every month to signify the day of his death."

When she was left without her coping mechanism, Nelly felt depressed.

She said: "It felt like I had lost him all over again.

"I felt betrayed in a way because it was the only thing I had left of him.

"It sounds so simple but these things really matter when you're going through loss like this.

"I became really upset and depressed after not being able to text him anymore."

Nelly has since turned to alternative methods, but nothing felt the same.

She said: "I tried using WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, which brought me a bit of closure.

"In the end, it always felt different and I felt really guilty that I didn't do something to keep the number."