‘She’s so excited’: B.C. woman helps reunite Manitoba family with beloved stuffed animal left behind in Mexico

A beloved stuffed sloth will soon be back in the loving arms of its owner here in Winnipeg, thanks to the help of a Canadian vacationing in Mexico.

A Manitoba family is thankful for the generosity of a stranger in helping reunite their daughter with her beloved stuffed animal left behind on a recent Mexican vacation.

Staci Burridge’s daughter Sage, 5, loves her stuffed sloth, Slothy, taking it with her everywhere she goes.

“Slothy has been in our family since my daughter was a baby,” she said. “It’s been her favourite toy; she sleeps with him every night.”

Burridge, who is from Lorette, Man., recently went on a family vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. When they were to return on Friday, their flight was delayed, and the family was put up for the night at Krystal Resort. The next morning, the family rushed to pack and get on the plane, and when they got to the airport, they realized they left someone behind.

“Sage opened her bag, and she goes, ‘Mom, Slothy is missing.’ And she just started to cry,” Burridge said. “And I knew right away that he was left in the bed there.”

Burridge called the hotel at first and then went online to a Puerto Vallarta Facebook page, putting a call out for anyone to help. She was hoping someone from Winnipeg was staying at the resort and would be able to talk to the desk directly and pick up Slothy.

Enter Susan Raulin. The Kelowna, B.C., woman is vacationing in Puerto Vallarta and saw Burridge’s post.

“I thought, ‘I’ve got lots of time on my hands. I’m going to look,’” Raulin said.

She went to the resort’s desk and showed them the story online about Slothy. The resort required photo identification before they would release Slothy to her.

“I remembered I had taken a picture of my passport before my trip, and it worked. And then they released him to me,” Raulin said.

Raulin got in contact with Burridge and has been posting photos of Slothy online around her apartment in Mexico.

Burridge said her daughter is thrilled to know her stuffed friend will be making his way home soon.

“She was so excited when I showed her the picture,” she said. “She started tearing up again. She’s so excited.”

Raulin said she wanted to do a kind thing to help someone.

“I am blown away by the support, by the kindness, and by how people are excited to see a happy story in these troubled times,” she said. “That’s what I’m enjoying most, that people are so happy with this.”

Raulin will hand Slothy off to another person who will be flying back to Winnipeg, and Slothy and Sage are expected to be reunited by Wednesday evening.