Earlier this month, a man was stunned to learn that a friend from his childhood was serving a life sentence in prison after being convicted of second degree murder.

“Found out that a childhood friend is locked up for life,” the man wrote on the social media site Reddit. “No one could tell me where he was or if he was alive. I decided to reach out, worst he could do is not reply.”

The man was able to find where his friend was serving his sentence and reached out to him. Last week, he got an email in response that is going viral. Here’s what his childhood friend had to say:

After reading that, it’s clear just how much this email meant to the friend serving the prison sentence. He sounds incredibly lonely and distraught, and to have an old friend from his past reach out to him has completely brightened his outlook.

The email has since gone viral on Reddit, with users everywhere saying they were touched by it.

“This brought a tear to my eye,” one user wrote. “The bonds of true friendship can transcend time and distance. I can tell your friend is truly appreciative of your reaching out. And the fact you took the time to reach out after so long shows you are a great human.”

“TBH, his response was poetry,” another added. “I support your continued friendship and hope you bring him the peace he needs. You’re a really good person.”

This just goes to show how powerful it can be to reach out to a friend from the past, regardless of what mistakes they have made in their lives!