Stolen Teddy Bear With Woman’s Late Mother’s Voice Recording Returned After Ryan Reynolds Offers Reward

Jul 16, 2021 by apost team

Not everyone is lucky enough to have parents that are alive well into adulthood, and this can be a very painful thing. Losing a parent at any age can be devastating, and the sentimental things that our parents leave behind for us become extremely important. From clothes and electronics to even small things like a keychain, people can attach meaning to anything that can give comfort and solace during difficult times. 

For one woman in Vancouver, British Columbia, the most important thing that was left to her was a sweet teddy bear made in the build-a-bear shop that had her mother's voice recorded over so that she could always listen to it. Mara Soriano's mother passed away from cancer, but before she passed, she left a teddy bear that told Mara that she was loved and that her mother would always be there with her. 

Unfortunately, Mara lost the bear after her belongings were stolen from her car when she was due to move in June 2020. After she made her plea on social media, Vancouver local Ryan Reynolds happened to see her post and immediately offered a $5,000 reward for returning the stuffed animal.

This generous gesture from Reynolds not only amplified Mara's request, it actually ended up becoming the best thing to happen to her as she was reunited with her priceless bear. In times like these, it goes to show that some celebrities are quite incredible as they use their reach to do good. Thankfully, in today's world that has become even more connected through social media, heartwarming stories like this are happening more often. 

USA Today reported that Mara aptly named her bear "Mamabear," and was distraught when she lost her bear. Mara's priceless bear was stolen along with her iPad and Nintendo Switch in a backpack while she was moving out of her Toronto apartment and to Vancouver in June 2020. The reason the bear was so important to her was because it contained a final recorded message from her mother, Marilyn Sorano, who died of cancer in June of 2019 at the age of 53, according to CBC. 

Mara told CBC News how she felt knowing the bear was stolen:

"It just makes me feel devastated. I'm absolutely crushed."

She then added more details about the recording in the bear itself:

"At the hospice her voice was different. Much softer. Not the mum I grew up with. That bear is the last memory I have of her speaking in her normal voice. She said that she loved me and she was proud of me and that she'll always be with me."

Mara was born in the Phillippines and when she was just nine years old moved to Toronto, Canada. She continued:

"It's a reminder of home. The bear has a message in it in Filipino. It says 'I love you,' but in our language. So it's very specific and very unique. I just really want to find my bear. That's all that I care about."

Mara put up posters everywhere according to USA Today, asking the people who stole her backpack to return the bear, even going so far as to say that they could keep the electronics. The only thing that was important to her was the teddy bear. 

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As soon as Ryan Reynolds came across her story on CBC, he made sure to share it over his own Twitter, and this helped Mara's post to become viral shortly afterward. In his tweet, he wrote, "Vancouver: $5,000 to anyone who returns this bear to Mara. Zero questions asked. I think we all need this bear to come home." He also added more incentives for people to give back the bear unharmed and added, "If you #FindMarasBear, I’ll send you so much @AviationGin it’ll be affected by the tide." Another celebrity, Zach Braff, also joined in and tweeted, "I NEED THIS BEAR TO COME HOME!!!!!!"

Once Reynolds and Braff put up their posts, thousands of people followed suit. It looked like Reynolds' tweet made an impact on whoever took the bear, and the financial rewards might have also made a difference as Mara received her bear unharmed. 

As soon as she got the bear, Mara was sure to update her followers as she tweeted, "BREAK OUT THE @AviationGin, @VancityReynolds !!! MAMABEAR IS HOME!!! #FOUNDMARASBEAR"

Mara also said in a separate tweet that the bear had "NOT A SINGLE SCRATCH ON HER! Two kind samaritans returned her to us in a safe space, voice is there, just no glasses!!" This was certainly a cause for celebration and showed the power of social media today. 

About Reynolds' kindness, Mara told CBC News, "I’m so unbelievably thankful for the exposure boost that (Reynolds) brought to this kind of story," adding, "It’s just unbelievable that someone like him would take notice on someone like me." 

We're so happy Mara was reunited with such an important reminder of her mother! What do you think of Reynold's ability to help Soriano get her priceless bear back? Do you know of any similar stories where celebrities have been able to help people? Let us know and be sure to pass on this heartwarming story to others!