Heartbroken 4-Year-Old Searches For Her Missing Teddy Bear With Recording Of Her Late Mother’s Heartbeat

Apr 25, 2023 by apost team

Most children love playing with their toys and even grow a sentimental attachment to them. It’s not surprising that these toys become important figures in their lives, so the thought of losing one of those cherished possessions could be heart-wrenching for the child. Unfortunately, in April 2023, this heartbreaking scenario became all too real for one family.

A father in Knoxville, Tennessee, has scoured the internet in hopes of finding his 4-year-old daughter’s teddy bear. The tie-dyed rainbow teddy bear from Build-a-Bear was accidentally donated to a Goodwill store in Tazewell. However, it wasn’t just any ordinary teddy bear – it contained something incredibly special to the little girl.

According to WJHL, the bear contained a recording of the girl’s late mother’s heartbeat. The bear makes the heartbeat sound whenever its hand is squeezed. It was recorded before the mother passed – about a year prior to the bear accidentally being donated.

“My daughter’s mom passed away and her grandma made her bear with her mom’s heartbeat in it,” Kennedy explained. The father said it is the only thing that his child has left of her late mother.

Once news about this mistake broke, people in the Tennessee area – as well as plenty of folks on the internet – put in their best efforts to find the sentimental teddy bear. A sign was placed in the Goodwill store it was originally donated to, asking whoever has the bear to return it to the store. The store’s manager has remained hopeful that the bear will turn up – and people on the internet have sent their best wishes to Kennedy and his daughter.

Keep reading to learn more about the efforts put in place to locate this missing teddy bear.

The Knoxville Goodwill store’s Instagram page posted a photo of a teddy bear that looked similar to the little girl’s bear along with the caption:

“Please help our local donor. They accidentally donated a bear that was very sentimental to them and it was sold in our store before they realized it. If you have any information, please call us at 865.588.8567 - we would love to see them reunited.”

A radio station posted an update on Facebook that was edited on April 17, 2023, that read:

“Calls and messages to the store and our station have been coming in from all over the country, but the manager feels that the bear is still most likely in the Tri-State area.”

Cindy Dodson, a spokesperson for Goodwill Industries Knoxville, spoke with TODAY about the citation. “It was a complete mistake,” she said. “When the father came back and saw that it was sold, his heart sank.”

Fortunately, people have been doing their part to help. "It's been amazing to see customers, including regulars, ask staff about the teddy bear," Dodson shared. 

A spokesperson for Build-a-Bear said that the company would replace the toy with a recording of the girl’s mom’s heartbeat as it was provided by the family.

“While we remain hopeful that the original bear is located, it is our sincere wish that this new teddy bear will provide a bit of comfort for the child and the family at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Kennedy told WJHL that he would provide a reward to whoever returned the teddy bear and asked that the person “please” return it.

apost.com

We hope this little girl is reunited with her cherished toy. What can you say about this situation? Did you have a sentimental toy growing up? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.