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Screengrab via Toronto City News/Facebook

After days-long search, boy with autism is reunited with lost bear

Get your tissues ready.

 

Jessica Machado

IRL

Posted on Oct 11, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 7:55 pm CDT

When two-year-old Lucas lost his teddy bear at a Toronto park this weekend, his mom Jessica Hoffart was in a panic. Lucas has autism and he takes his bear Teddy with him wherever he goes, from daycare to the bath.

So she started a Twitter to find him. 

For the past 24-plus hours, the news team at City News Toronto has been on the hunt for Teddy, asking for tips from anyone who may have found him. 

Three families even tried to bring Lucas a new bear to see if they’d fill Teddy’s shoes. 

Then in a Facebook Live video today, City News had good news for Lucas and Hoffart. A woman and her son had found Teddy outside the local Costco, dusted him off, and thought to bring him home. When watching the local news that night, they realized it belonged to Lucas. 

[Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/citynewstoronto/videos/10153808349506175/ video embed.]

The heart-touching video captures the moment when Lucas and Teddy are reunited: As soon as he sees his bear, the two-year-old reaches out of his stroller to grab him and gives him a great big snuggle. 

Screengrab City News Toronto/Facebook

Thank you, good people of Toronto, for making us believe again in happy endings.  

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*First Published: Oct 11, 2016, 5:34 pm CDT