Valentina Dominguez, nine, of Plano, Texas, was upset because she had lost her “best friend” Beatrice the doll, forever after she left her on a plane in Tokyo. Her relatives were unable to comfort her.
Valentina’s father, Rudy Dominguez, told news station WFAA that Beatrice had been a huge part of their lives for the past three or four years. “I am feeling sad because she is very sad,” Rudy was quoted as saying.
They had gone through all of their belongings and even called the airport and airlines in the hopes of finding the doll. The last time they saw her was on a plane, according to her family.
The Dominguezes had given up hope of locating Beatrice three weeks before the family tour ended. However, an online posting prompted James Danen of Richardson, an American Airlines pilot, to look for it.
“It’s in my blood. “I like helping people… that’s just what I like doing,” Danen was cited by WFAA as saying. Danen has been an American Airlines pilot since 1993 and frequently travels to Tokyo. “I was really glad I could do something nice for somebody,” Danen continued.
A heartwarming reunion
Danen contacted Turkish Airlines’ lost and found department at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, but he was unable to locate Beatrice. When the flying veteran attempted to locate the doll for the second time, he was successful.
As he returned home, he photographed the doll in airports and on flights. Danen just lives a few miles from the Dominguezes.
On August 21, he traveled to their house and delivered the doll to a very pleased and ecstatic Valentina, along with some Japanese goodies and a map that indicated where all Beatrice had gone.
“Thank you! Was she well-behaved on the flight?” Valentina asked Jim. “There’s a lot of kindness in this world. He’s a kind man. He said he would do it and followed through,” the father said.
The 9-year-old has also learned the importance of being responsible for one’s own belongings.