CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Britney Carroll knew it was a long shot.
As office manager for Hobby Lobby in Cedar Rapids, Carroll was accustomed to seeing lost keys, credit cards and wallets come into the store at 180 Collins Rd. NE, but this was something different.
“This is the first teddy bear,” she said of the lost toy found in the store’s parking lot. “I had it sitting in the office for awhile.”
Determined to find the owner, Hobby Lobby co-workers posted a photo to area Facebook pages.
“This might be a long shot but we are trying to locate this little bear’s owner before Christmas,” read one post on a Cedar Rapids lost and found page. “It was found in the parking lot at the Cedar Rapids, IA Hobby Lobby. If you recognize this little guy please reach out. Thanks!”
The post was shared dozens of times and Carroll was contacted in mid-December that the owner had been located.
But this wasn’t just any owner.
“His mom came in and brought him in with her,” Carroll said.
The little boy, still just a baby and considered a “heart warrior,” had been born with a congenital heart condition and had the bear with him through multiple medical procedures, his mother told the employees.
A co-worker made a scarf for the bear before it went home with the boy.
“It was really nice to give it back to him,” Carroll said. “His mom was happy to see it, too.”
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