'We're desperate': Devastating reason family is searching for this blue elephant soft toy
By Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh |
A? family has issued a desperate plea for help to find a toy elephant that contains the ashes of their late son Gabrielle, following a tribute trip to Disney World in Florida.
US mum Liz Atkinson ?has shared details of the family trip and photos, in an attempt to recover the incredibly valuable soft toy that her other son, Sebastyan, had taken on the family trip.
"I feel sick. Struggling to sleep. I'm desperate," Atkinson opened up on a Facebook post where she called for help to find the toy.
"Gabryel slept with it every night and since his passing my husband and I have had it in our bed with us. His name is Bruce," she shared.
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Gabryel devastatingly passed away ?in August 2022, and to commemorate what would have been his ninth birthday, his mum and dad wanted to take brother Sebastyan to Disney World in Florida.
The trip had been on the family's bucket list for a while though they were unable to make it before he passed away.
?In order to take some part of Gabryel with them, they brought along his favourite elephant soft toy named Bruce.
"Bruce, of course, was brought on our trip and a small bag of our son's ashes were inside the pouch on Bruce's back," she explained.
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However, ?after a number of flights and hotel stays, the mum says she lost track of Bruce and has been unable to find him.
"The trip was a bit hectic with three different cities and hotels and grief brain kicked in at some point with all of the emotions, making me really struggle with simple memory tasks," she wrote.
The mum has tried everything she can to recover Bruce, though hasn't had any luck.
"I searched EVERYWHERE. Every bag. He's gone. I've called each of the places listed above and filled out a lost and found form on Disney's page. No one has found him," she shared.
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So she is now hoping the power of social media will reunite her with the treasured toy and her son's ashes.
"I am completely desperate and hoping this blows up and we find our elephant! So SHARE SHARE SHARE!?" she wrote on the post.
Atkinson believes Bruce is somewhere in Disney Springs, mentioning the orange parking ramp at Disney Springs or The Palazzo hotel as the most likely places he was lost.
"I never in a million years would've thought that struggling with grief would have impaired my memory enough to forget him somewhere," the mum said.
She also shared a number of photos of Gabryel and Bruce together. The toy had been by the child's side through over 50 surgeries and countless hospitalizations.
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In an earlier post, Atkinson said the reason they chose the elephant as the first toy to gift to Gabryel.
"I realised how perfect this animal fits. Elephants represent strength. Coincidentally, Gabryel's name also means strength, man of God, and God is my strength," she wrote.
Since it's original posting, the Facebook call-out has been shared over 15,000 times and the story has been picked up by news outlets across the US attempting to share the message so the toy can be found.
"Shared. I hope with all my heart he is found for you," one person commented on the post.
Another wrote, "Can't even imagine how you must be feeling right now?."
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