Woman Loses Teddy Bear Containing Dead Mother's Message, Receives Support From Celebrities

A woman from Vancouver, Canada, has lost something very dear to her – a teddy bear from her late mother. Now several celebrities have come forward to help her get it back.

Mara Soriano was moving to her new apartment Friday, July 24, when her beloved teddy bear was stolen. The toy has a recording of her mother's last message. “I love you, I’m proud of you, I’ll always be with you,” it would say when a button on the teddy’s paw was pressed.

CBC reporter Deborah Global took to Twitter to share the story of the missing teddy and the post immediately went viral.

“Every time I missed her, I would hug the bear and I would listen to her voice and it made me feel a lot closer to her,” Soriano told The Star. “Honestly, I feel a little silly, I know it’s just a bear to the guy who stole it, but it was everything to me. I feel like I lost her all over again.”

Actor Ryan Reynolds tweeted his concern and support for Soriano. He announced a reward of $5,000 for anyone who returns the bear.

Other celebrities including, George Stroumboulopoulos, Zach Braff, and Dan Levy have also tweeted support for Soriano.

Soriano lost her mother to cancer in June 2019. Her mother gifted her the bear in December 2017 after Soriano moved to Vancouver from Toronto. She said it was her mother’s loving gesture to remind her how much she loved her.

She dressed the teddy in her mother’s signature style dress and glasses and kept it on her desk where she could see it all the time.

“I saw it every day and it made me think of my family and made me feel a lot less alone,” she told the outlet.

Her mother’s health began to deteriorate after the tumor inside her began to grow and eventually claimed her life.

“By the end of her life, she wasn’t the mom I had grown up with. Her voice had changed, it was much softer. The cancer had really eaten away at her and that bear was basically the last reminder of the mom that I knew — it was her voice that I remembered growing up,” Soriano said.

She was moving her belongings to a new apartment when she had to rush to the hospital after her friend met with an accident. In the rush, she left her backpack outside while she accompanied her friend to the emergency room.

She also lost an iPad with photos and videos of her mother. There were no backups to the files, she said.

Soriano said she hasn’t eaten or slept properly since Friday. She has been searching the nearby streets and alleys hoping to find her precious possession somewhere.

Soriano obtained and shared surveillance footage from a nearby building that shows a suspect walking away with the backpack.

She thanks all those who helped and supported her during her loss.