The Iowa mom appealed on Facebook with the hope that someone will find the lost memory of a stuffed elephant from the family’s visit to Disneyland.
In her post, Liz Atkinson described the lost item as a stuffed elephant with a pocket on its back containing the ashes of her seven-year-old son.
“Our son, Gabriel, left before we got to Disneyland,” Liz said. “This year we took our surviving son, Sebastian, on a trip for his birthday.
Gabriel received this elephant in neonatology and accompanied him to each operation and hospitalization. He slept with him every night, and since he left, we have kept him in his bed. His name is Bruce. »
Somewhere during the family’s travels, Bruce disappeared.
“The trip was chaotic with three different cities and hotels, and at one point I started to lose my ‘minds’ from all the emotions, making even simple memory tasks difficult,” the post continues .
Liz opened up about her son’s medical issues and the joy he brought to their lives.
“He underwent skull reconstruction, several airway operations and the removal of his left lung,” she recalls. “He was non-verbal.
She added: “We took his medical equipment with us on family trips so Gabriel could enjoy life to the fullest. He was the happiest kid, loved football and supported both teams.
Liz pointed out places she thinks they could have lost Bruce, including the Palazzo Lakeside Hotel and the Disney Springs parking lot.
“Sebastian is desperate, and my husband and I feel guilty,” the grieving mother said. “It’s hard for me to fathom the idea of being a nurse and not saving my son – I lost him, and now I’ve lost his ashes… there’s no worse feeling for a mom . »
On a positive note, Liz’s Facebook post got a lot of attention, and she even said volunteers posted pictures of Bruce everywhere, hoping someone would see him.
