He thanked Ryan Reynolds for his role in the meeting.
“Aviation gin explodes,” Mara Soriano exclaimed in celebration Tuesday night, after a good Samaritan returned a beloved possession less than a week after it was stolen.
The 28-year-old Vancouver resident went viral after a teddy bear containing a voice recording of her late mother was stolen along with a bag of other valuable belongings while she was in the middle of a move to a new building.
UPDATE: REAL ROBBER TRACK! When I dropped the bag, my fiancé was still in the alley, not inside, so he would have been right next to uHaul’s cabin. This happened right after he got into the cargo bay. pic.twitter.com/6eoGzVVr2t
– mara soriano | PUMPING IS AT HOME! (@drawmaradraw) July 27, 2020 @drawmaradraw
After asking for the bear to be returned for sentimental reasons on social media, stars like Ryan Reynolds, Canadian VJ George Stroumboulopoulos, Dan Levy and Zach Braff shared their story.
Both Reynolds and Stroumboulopoulos also promised $ 5K each as a reward for their safe return.
I will add 5g to that. https://t.co/o7qwUnO8Np
– Prime Mixister StroumPHÒulopoulos🍲🍿🏍 (@strombo) July 26, 2020 @strombo
If #FindMarasBear, I will send you so much gin @AviationGin that it will be affected by the tide.
– Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 27, 2020 @VancityReynolds
Canada please help find this bear. https://t.co/yCGoGrEDr6
– dan levy (@danjlevy) July 26, 2020 @danjlevy
I NEED THIS BEAR TO COME HOME! https://t.co/UGHlJJPOwE
– Zach Braff (@zachbraff) July 26, 2020 @zachbraff
Soriano’s mother died on June 29 after a battle with cancer. The recording, according to an interview Mara did with CNN, was of her mother saying that “she loved me, she was proud of me and she will always be with me.” The bear was even designed to look like its late mother.
As the story made headlines online, Soriano received an email Tuesday night from someone who said he found the bear in a tent and hoped to return it to him. “This guy seemed like he really wanted me to have the bear, and it seemed like he was in a desperate situation, and he really wanted to change his life,” he told Global News.
They met in a public space, where the man fulfilled his claims. “I couldn’t see anything right away, because my eyes filled with tears,” she told the publication. “I snatched her out of his arms before he could completely pull her out of the scarf, and hugged her so tight. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!”
Videos and photos shared on social media showed Sirano reunited with the plush, whose voice box was still intact, although his mother’s glasses were missing.
VIDEO: @drawmaradraw has been reunited with her teddy bear that contains the voice of her late mother. She says two good Samaritans returned the bear to her Tuesday night after taking it from the original thief. @cbcnewsbc @CBCAlerts @CBCDeborahGoble @VancityReynolds #FOUNDMARASBEAR pic.twitter.com/G2UCiPaCRG
– Dan Burritt (@DanBurritt) July 29, 2020 @DanBurritt
REMOVE THE @AviationGin, @VancityReynolds !!! BREASTFEEDING IS HOME !!! #FOUNDMARASBEAR pic.twitter.com/9yxTsiKWYd
– mara soriano | PUMPING IS AT HOME! (@drawmaradraw) July 29, 2020 @drawmaradraw
After being tagged in one of his posts, Reynolds reacted to the meeting on Twitter, writing: “In happier news … thanks to everyone who searched everywhere. To the person who took the bear, thanks for keeping it on. except Vancouver is awesome. #FoundMarasBear. “
She republished her tweet and expressed her gratitude for her role in bringing more awareness to her search.
“THANK YOU RYAN,” he wrote. “This would not have been possible without the signal boost!”
