(WHDH) — “This is Danny, he was home for Christmas,” Iwona Londono tells 7News’ Kris Anderson, as she flips through photos of her son and her hero.
Daniel Londono always wanted to be a soldier.
“I’ve got pictures of him standing with my daughter and he was saluting,” Iwona says. “He was like seven years old.”
Shortly after graduating from Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree in 2000, the Dorchester native joined the Army. He served his country in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Iwona remembers March 13, 2004 like it was yesterday.
“I got a call from my sister,” she remembers. “She told me that the soldiers were at my house. I knew that my son is dead.”
Sgt. Londono and two of his fellow soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Iraq.
“The pain is so excruciating that I don’t wish [my] worst enemy to have that pain,” Iwona says.
She has spent the past 15 years trying to heal, while also preserving her son’s memory. Photos and commendations from Daniel’s time in the Army fill the Randolph home she shares with her husband, Gene.
About five years ago Gene had an idea to give his wife a special gift.
“He says to me, ‘Come on, I’m going to buy something from Danny to you.’”
They went to Kay Jewelers and as soon as Iwona saw a certain ring, she knew it was the one.
“I said, Danny thank you!” she laughs, looking at the ring.
Last year, one of its diamonds fell out. Since it had a lifetime warranty, Iwona brought it back to the store.
“They said, ‘Oh no problem, we will take care of it,’” she says.
The company told her it could take up to three months to fix the ring. But six months later, she was still waiting. Multiple trips to the store followed, but Iwona couldn’t get a straight answer about what was taking so long. At one point, a representative even told her the ring had gone missing.
Her husband suggested she called Solve It 7.
We called Kay Jewelers and told them about Iwona’s missing ring. The representative promised to look into it immediately.
“They got wild!” Iwona says. “Everybody called me…and they found the ring.”
The company told us the ring had been sent back to the manufacturer to be repaired, which contributed to the eight month delay. They apologized that it took so long and decided to give Iwona a brand new ring, putting a smile back on this mother’s face.
“I believe that if it wouldn’t be for Solve It 7, I would never have my ring back,” she says. “It feels like my son is again with me.”
Kay Jewelers released a statement saying in part, “We are very pleased that we were able to resolve Mrs. Londono’s matter…when we make a mistake we own it.”
The company also made a $5,000 donation to the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes organization in honor of Sgt. Daniel Londono.
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