They say that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, but what happens when a treasured piece of jewelry is mistaken for trash? A Canadian woman in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia recently found out when her wedding ring and other precious metals went missing.
After washing the rings in a solution, Alexandra Stokal placed the cherished jewelry on a paper towel to dry. Not knowing about this, her husband accidentally threw away the paper towels, rings and all.
“It was a combination of wedding rings,” she explained. “When my father died, my mother bought us all a ring to commemorate that, a ring from my grandmother, so it was a big mix of things that meant a lot to me.”
Once it was clear to Alexandra and her husband that the rings were no longer in their home, they contacted the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Solid Waste transfer facility in hopes they could help.
“The odds are very slim that we could recover something that small, but we said we’d give it a shot for her,” said J.B. O’Brien, CBRM Foreman. “It was pretty well the whole left side of the Pier, so you’re looking at a thousand bags or more.”
The prospect of them actually finding these precious rings seemed slim, but Alexandra held on to hope nonetheless. She even found herself recalling advice from her grandmother that seemed to help her greatly.
“My grandmother always said if you lost something, pray to St. Anthony, so I was like, “Come on, St. Anthony, I’ve never called in a favor before,”” Alexandra said.
Then, after more than two hours of searching, a man named Chris Ward discovered not one but all of the rings! According to J.B., the discovery sent Alexandra into tears of joy – and understandably so!
“I just gave him the biggest hug and I was so appreciative, and not only to him, but to the entire team of people that stayed on their Friday to help me find the rings,” Alexandra said. “I’m very seldom at a loss for words, but when we found the rings, I was speechless.”
Don’t forget to share Alexandra’s story to remind others of the power of teamwork.
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