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Mara Soriano
Mara Soriano says the teddy bear was stolen while moving to her new apartment
“I love you very much, I am proud of you. I will always be with you.”
These were some of the last and only words that Mara Soriano’s mother, Marilyn, recorded for her daughter.
Installed inside a custom-made teddy bear, the voice recording was given to Mrs. Soriano as a Christmas gift in 2017.
Less than two years later, in June 2019, Ms. Soriano’s mother died of cancer, at just 53 years old.
At the touch of the bear’s paw, Mrs. Soriano, who lives in Vancouver, Canada, could hear her mother’s comforting voice whenever she wanted.
But on Friday of last week, Soriano, 28, says those words were taken from him.
She says the bear was stolen while she and her fiance moved to a new apartment.
Desperate to get the precious bear back, Soriano launched an online appeal, which has now attracted the support of high-profile celebrities such as Ryan Reynolds, George Stroumboulopoulos, and Zach Braff.
‘Absolutely crushed’
Soriano said that she and her fiancé were unloading their U-Haul truck when she received a phone call from a friend who had been in a bicycle accident.
Before rushing to help her friend, she left the bag, a Herschel backpack, next to the truck, but forgot to tell her fiancé where he had left it.
In the few minutes he left the bag unattended, it had vanished.
He later reviewed the security images, which showed a man running away with the bag.
Soriano told the BBC that she was “absolutely crushed” when she discovered that the bag had disappeared.
“I couldn’t believe I was so dumb for letting such a thing happen,” she said. “The backpack contained much of our important documents and an iPad, a Nintendo Switch, my mother’s red Mickey Mouse wallet and, most importantly, her teddy bear.
“I’ve been kicking myself since the robbery, I know it’s silly, but it seems like I lost my mother again.”
‘The last reminder of the mom I met’
Soriano said his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, when she was 18 years old.
For seven years, her condition appeared to be stable, but in 2018, “she kept getting sicker and sicker,” Soriano said.
His mother gifted him the bear in December 2017 after moving to Vancouver from Toronto.
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Mara Soriano
Mara Soriano and her mother Marilyn, who died in June 2019.
For Ms. Soriano, who came to Canada from the Philippines as a child, “the bear was the last reminder of the mother I grew up with, before becoming my mother with cancer.”
Mrs. Soriano dressed the bear in her mother’s signature clothing, a red and white dress with a white jean jacket, and kept it on her desk.
Celebrities join the hunt
Ms. Soriano’s request for help has gone viral, with Canadian media and world famous celebrities.
Ryan Reynolds, the Canadian-American actor who stars in Deadpool, has offered a $ 5,000 (£ 3,881) reward for the bear’s return.
In a tweet, Canadian television presenter George Stroumboulopoulos promised to match Reynolds’ reward.
“I NEED THIS BEAR TO COME HOME!” Zach Braff, who played JD in the American comedy series Scrubs, tweeted.
Ms. Soriano has distributed missing posters near her home and the Vancouver police have issued an appeal on Twitter.
But as of Monday, Soriano said he had not yet found the bear, despite finding some clues.
For now, the excruciating wait continues. “I hear garbage trucks outside and my heart is sinking,” said Soriano.
