Lost Camera at Disneyland Returned: Faith in Humanity Restored Because of a Facebook Pay it Forward and a Little Pixie Dust

     On July 3, 2018, the first day of our Disneyland vacation I lost my camera. I reported it as soon as I discovered it was gone. I went to lost and found the night it was lost. I called them on a daily basis to see if it had been turned in. It never was. Due to the kind act of a random individual paying it forward my camera was returned.

     On July 3 we entered Disneyland Park for our first day of fun. I had planned to video our trip this year and create a vlog. I started my video recording the Disneyland Railroad. We decided to get off at Fantasyland and watch Mickey's Magical Map. I used my phone and camera both there. Well I think I used my camera. I have several shots so am not sure. Then we went on Alice in Wonderland. We stopped at the restroom and I knew I had it with me as I waited for my mom and aunt outside the restroom near Alice. Then we headed to Pizza Port for lunch. When I put my bags down I realized that my camera was gone. I went back to the area where we ate, asked if it was found in Pizza Port and at all of the carts in the area. I back tracked everywhere we had been. My camera had not been turned in.

     I file a report with Lost and Found. They told me usually expensive items get turned in. So I had high hopes that they would call me.

    We went on to enjoy our day, I took pictures with my phone which were not the quality I was used to but better than nothing.

     At the end of the day my mom and I went to lost and found outside the park and waited for an hour to find out that it had not been turned in. At that point my hopes were dashed. I did not have much hope it would be tuned in. I figured someone found it and decided they made quite the find so they kept it. I was crushed. I had SD cards in there with memories and well, I really love taking pictures and loved my camera.

     I called lost and found every other day only to hear those same words "so sorry but we do not have anything that matches that description." I went back to all of the places I had been that first day to see if somehow someone had turned it in. I went to City Hall, I did not stop looking. I watched everyone in the park to see if they had my camera bag on their shoulder hoping to find me there. But nothing

    We earned enough points to go on a Walt Disney Studios Tour so I called that day too, still no camera. I was sad because this was a once in a lifetime thing and I had to use a phone for my memories. But I made the best of it and had a good time still with hopes that somehow my camera would appear.

     Finally almost two weeks later our trip was over. I called lost and found one last time in hopes my camera was there, it was not. We returned home and I called on the 16th which was two weeks from the say I lost it to see if it was there. Disney told me it was not and that it most likely would never show up since it had been so long. They apologized and I was very mad.

     I was mad at myself for leaving it but also wondered if maybe someone had picked it up while I sat there. I was not sure, I just knew that I lost faith in humanity as a whole. I was upset that someone like myself who would have taken it to lost and found had not found it. I would never in a million years keep something like that if I found it.

     I was still very sad about my camera but decided that it was gone so I needed to forget it. Then on July 23, 2018 I checked my phone to find that I had several messages from my friend Steve. He had posted a screen shot text of a camera and case asking if it was mine. WOW it was!  I could not contact the woman who posted it so he shared the link to my Facebook messages and I was able to contact her. In the mean time he had called her.

    This amazing woman, Noelle,  had been given my camera by her friend who found it on the 3rd but had headed home that same day and was not sure what to do. Noelle had looked at the pictures on my SD cards, found a license plate number and called my mom. She did not have to follow up on the call because my friend Steve and I had contacted her.

      She also put a post on Facebook asking all of her friends to share the post. She wanted to find me, she wanted to pay it forward.  All of her friends shared, their friends shared and somehow my friend saw the post. Then the ball was rolling for my camera to be returned to me.

    My friend Steve said he was on Facebook and the post with the picture of my camera was there in his feed. He saw it and just KNEW it was my camera. He took a screen shot of the post so that it did not disappear because  much of the time messages in a facebook feed will disappear once you leave the page. He has no idea why it was on his feed because he does not know Noelle. After he saw this he  started messaging me.

    I talked to Noelle proving that I was the owner and she placed my it in the mail on July 24, 2018.

    I believe it was a miracle, and maybe a little magic from Walt Disney, that my friend saw the post. I believe that it is a blessing that this amazing woman wanted to pay in forward and find me I also am thankful that her friend who wasn't sure what to do asked her what to do and then Noelle went on to return my camera to me.

    My faith in humanity has been restored because one amazing woman took the time to find me and  wanted to pay it forward and maybe just a little Pixie dust was sprinkled about too so that my friend saw her post.

+Disneyland
+lost camera
+found
+returned
+faith in humanity