29 June 2023 , 10:32
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A teddy bear nicknamed "dad" travelled over 1,000 miles to reunite with its three-month-old owner after getting lost on a road trip.
Natalie Balmer, 25, and her daughter, Violet Boyer, were enjoying a day out in Hershey, Pennsylvania, US, when the mum-of-one noticed Violet's bear had gone missing.
They were visiting Natalie's hometown from Pensacola, Florida, US, during her maternity leave and were getting into the car on May 28 when the bear disappeared.
Both Violet and Natalie were "very upset" at the loss of the bear as they carry it with them to represent Violet's dad, Brock Boyer, 25.
Brock was stationed in South Korea as part of the US Air Force one week before Natalie found out she was pregnant in July 2022 - but has since not been able to return to see his family.
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Violet, Brock and Natalie (Natalie Balmer / SWNS)
Violet and Natalie were "very upset" at the loss of the bear as they carry it with them to represent Violet's father Brock (Natalie Balmer / SWNS)Natalie, who works in IT, said: "That bear is so special because we carry it around and call it her dad.
"He's away in the military so we like to bring the bear and take pictures with it. We send it to her dad and tell him he came here with us.
"It's so he feels like he's still a part of what we do so it's very important to us.
They were visiting Natalie's home town from Pensacola, Florida, during her maternity leave and were getting into the car on May 28 when the bear disappeared (Natalie Balmer / SWNS)
Brock was stationed in South Korea as part of the US Air Force one week before Natalie found out she was pregnant (Natalie Balmer / SWNS)"Violet loves the bear. Whenever we say do you want to bring dad with us she get's so excited."
Natalie said the pair were on a day out in Hershey park and on the way to breakfast when she noticed the bear wasn't in the car anymore.
"We looked everywhere and couldn't find it anywhere," she said.
"I was really upset.
"Violet's still very young so I don't know whether she realised but the bear is a comfort for me as well."
Natalia explained that having her partner so far away has been hard.
The post, which was shared thousands of times, asked people to let them know if they spotted "Dad" (Natalie Balmer / SWNS)
Dad Brock allowed to return home for three weeks in March when Violet was born (Natalie Balmer / SWNS)After searching everywhere, Violet's grandma, Carianne Nicole, wrote a post on Facebook asking if anyone had seen the bear.
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A few days later, she received a message from a family in New York who had thankfully found the teddy bear.
The family could tell the bear was "significant" so decided to pick up the teddy bear and keep it.
They happened to see Natalie's mother's Facebook post and then posted the bear 1,200 miles from New York to Pensacola, Florida.
Natalie said: "A family all the way from New York had found the bear leaving a museum.
"I've never spoken to them myself but they got in touch with my mom and said they knew it must hold sentimental value so kept it.
"The post was shared over three thousand times but it's still amazing that someone all the way in New York happened to see it.
"They posted it to us and we got it back on June 15.
"Violet was so excited when I laid it down next to her again. She had the biggest smile on her face and was giggling.
"I was crying. I was so excited to have it back and be able to continue to take him with us everywhere we go.
"We're hoping Brock will be home next month but for now we're so happy to have 'dad' back."