Child Finally Reunited with Lost Stuffed Toy Thanks to Caring Staff at Detroit Airport
Reunited and it feels soooooo good. Austin the stuffed animal has found his way home to his human thanks to a kind passenger and caring staff at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and the power of social media.
Austin's scary journey of being lost started back on March 4th when he became separated from his family. He was discovered by a water fountain in the McNamara Terminal at the busy Detroit airport. Austin, who is a plush cow, had been lost by his human, baby Rae from Ohio.
Thankfully, a Commerce Township resident Mary Joyce found him and knew he had to be missed by someone very special, and she knew she had to help get Austin home.
"I have seven kids and my two sons are both autistic, and they are very, very attached to their plushies," Joyce told the Detroit Free Press. "I know what would happen in my life if either of them lost their stuffed animals, so I picked him up."
After searching the airport for the owner, Joyce got a little help from the pilot on her flight. The duo posted a picture of Austin and created an Instagram to get the word out that Austin was looking for his family.
With shares from the Detroit Metro Airport account and tons of cute pictures of Austin circulating, Joyce hoped her plan to find the owner would work...and it did. Baby
Baby Rae's mom saw the viral post of Austin's adventures and recognized the toy as her daughter's favorite. Joyce told the Detroit Free Press,
"The mother texted me immediately and texted me pictures of her daughter with the cow. There had been a few people who had said, 'Oh, this is mine,' but I kind of knew they were fibbing. I don't know how I knew it, but I just knew. I was very positive that this was this cow's family."
Baby Rae's mom shared a video of the reunion to her social media and sent a very special thank you to the kind stranger that saved Austin when many wouldn't have taken the time. She sent Joyce a new stuffed cow so she could continue on the Instagram page now known as DTW Cow.
Check out the reunion below....cuteness overload.