KINGMAN, Ariz. — Finding a sentimental item mistakenly donated to Goodwill would take a miracle, but Sandra Castro isn't giving up hope.
"I believe in miracles because my late husband was my miracle," Castro said.
She married the love of her life Sylvester Castro in 2003 and after that, they were inseparable.
“He was one of a kind," Castro said. "God really spent time making him."
About five years into their marriage, Sandra Castro needed surgery. So to cheer her up while in the hospital, she said her beloved bought her a Build-A-Bear with a voice recording of him that said:
"You’re the most beautiful woman in the world and I love you."
"That meant the world to me," she said.
Then in 2016, Castro said her husband passed away. Since then she would listen to his voice message whenever she missed him.
“That means more than the wedding ring he gave me, that bear because it has his voice," Castro said. “It’s something you can’t replace.”
Castro then moved in with her daughter to Kingman last month. She decided to donate a majority of her belongings to Goodwill: About 15 truckloads worth of items she said.
Mixed in with all those belongings was her special bear. She didn't realize it until a week later.
“I was so upset," Castro said as she held back tears.
When she went to that same Goodwill in Kingman, she said it was gone. She claimed an employee told her that either someone had already purchased the bear or since she donated so many items, it is possible it was shipped to another location in Phoenix.
She described the bear as having black fur and a brown mouth with the voice recording in one of its paws. She knows it's a long shot but hopes someone has it or finds it at a Goodwill somewhere in the Valley and is able to return it to her.
If you or someone know has seen Castro's bear, you can call 12News at (602) 444-1212.
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