A 74 year-old woman from California has finally received $150,000 in back child support payments, nearly 50 years after her divorce. Toni Anderson of the city of Carlsbad has gone public with her story in the hopes of showing parents all over the nation that it’s never too late to get what is owed to you.

When Toni divorced her ex-husband Don Lenhert in 1971, he was ordered to pay child support for their three-year-old daughter Lane in 1971. A judge ordered Don to pay monthly payments of $210 for the first two-and-a-half years, and then send $160 per month to Toni until Lane turned 18.

Instead of paying up, Don disappeared, fleeing the country with his new girlfriend.

“The first check bounced and then he went off to Canada with his girlfriend and had two more kids,” Toni said. “He completely disappeared.”

This forced Toni to raise Lane completely alone as a single mother, and the two found themselves living “paycheck to paycheck.” They lived off food stamps at times, and Toni had to work two jobs to make ends meet.

“I had to raise myself,” said Lane. “In the long run it affects you, you have a lot of abandonment issues.”

Toni said she tried not to think about the child support payments, instead focusing on paying for Lane to go to college and take her on modest vacations. It was only last year that she learned there was no statue of limitations for child support payments in California, so she went to the San Diego County Child Support Services Offices with the original 1970 court order. There, Toni was told that Don was back in the United States and was living in Oregon.

She immediately filed a motion for the unpaid child support, but she wanted a whole lot more than the $30,000 he owed her.

“He was only supposed to give me like a $160 a month,” Toni said. “Well, that was 50 years ago. That, today, is a lot more money.”

In the end, Don and Toni’s lawyers settled on him paying her $150,000. She is set to receive a lump sum at first, then Don will have two years to pay the rest of it.

Don claimed that he had not paid Toni the child support because they agreed on a handshake that he would not have to.

“I was glad to pay Ms Anderson the child support that was owed and I wish her only the best in the future,” he said. “I hired a private investigator to locate her so I could offer her payment. I am pleased we were able to reach an agreement.”

Toni was stunned when Don turned up in court for the hearing, as he was not required to do so.

“I didn’t expect him to show up,” she said. “I was really shocked to see him.”

Toni asked him why he had showed up, and Don’s answer brought them both to tears.

“Because I have to come and ask for your forgiveness,” he said to her.

“It was just a big-time closure for both of us,” Toni said. “The forgiveness was big on both of our parts.”