When nine-year-old Valentina Dominguez discovered her 'best friend,' who happens to be her doll, had gone missing while travelling, an American Airlines pilot made sure to help her reunite with it.
After returning to the US from their trip to Bali, Indonesia, Rudy and Celeste Dominguez noticed their daughter Valentina was missing her doll, Beatrice. The doll was last seen on a flight in Tokyo, where the family's flight had a layover.
Rudy told WFAA that they searched for the doll in every suitcase they had carried. But when their efforts went in vain, the family contacted the airport and airlines urgently to find the doll. (Also Read: IndiGo passengers erupt in cheers as pilot announces Chandrayaan-3 landing mid-flight)
"Beatrice means a lot to me. She brings me happiness, and she’s my best friend. When she was missing, when we got settled into our hotel, I felt very bad. I felt like my heart was broken," Valentina told Good Morning America.
{{/usCountry}}"Beatrice means a lot to me. She brings me happiness, and she’s my best friend. When she was missing, when we got settled into our hotel, I felt very bad. I felt like my heart was broken," Valentina told Good Morning America.
{{/usCountry}}Later, when the family shared a post on social media about the doll, American Airlines pilot James Danen took notice of it and came to the rescue.
Danen contacted Turkish Airlines' lost-and-found department at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and found the doll. He later even personally escorted the doll across the globe and delivered it to Valentina.
"It's my nature. I like helping people... that's just what I like doing. I was really glad I could do something nice for somebody." Danen told WFAA.
But that's not where the story ends. When Danen handed over the doll to Valentina, he also gave her some Japanese treats and a map that showed where all the doll had travelled with him.
"There's a lot of kindness in this world. He's a kind man. He said he would do it and followed through," Rudy Dominguez said about the pilot to WFAA.