A heartbroken mom has made a tear-jerking plea after losing the toy containing her late son’s ashes during a family trip.
Liz Atkinson from Burlington, Iowa, was on a family trip to Florida, including Disneyland, when their toy elephant suddenly went missing.
As the grieving mom explained, the elephant contains the ashes of her late son, Gabryel, who died last year just days before his 8th birthday.
“I feel sick, struggling to sleep. I’m desperate. He slept with it every night and since his passing my husband and I have had it in our bed with us,” Liz revealed in an emotional plea asking people to help reunite the family with the toy.
“It was at every surgery/procedure (over 50) and hospitalization (too many to count) with him. If you’ve found Bruce or saw him around any of these locations, please PM me!!! I need him back.”
Besides going to Disneyland, the family also enjoyed a parasailing trip and stayed at the Beachside Resort in Cocoa Beach for two nights.
Recalling the trip as “hazy” due to overwhelming emotions and grief, Liz admitted she doesn’t know when exactly the elephant went missing. She is sure, however, that the toy disappeared sometime before the family returned home to Iowa.
“Once we got home May 1 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 added.
Liz has since appealed to the public for help in finding the lost elephant toy that means so much to the family. She is now asking people to share her story in hopes that her son’s ashes will be returned to her one day soon.
Our thoughts are with Gabryel’s family during this challenging time.