A man from Worcester, Massachusetts, has been reunited with a cherished necklace that vanished 18 years ago in Maine, thanks to a stranger's commitment to finding its rightful owner.
Han Tu received the gold Buddha necklace as a high school graduation gift and wore it every day until it disappeared. The necklace held deep meaning — it included a heart charm given to him by a friend who had passed away.
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"I wore it every day. Slept with it, showered with it," Tu recalled.
He lost it while swimming in Maine, far from his Worcester home.
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"I was panicking, frantically searching for it," he said. "I just came to the realization that like, it's going to be gone forever."
For years, Tu searched Facebook groups and reached out to local metal detector enthusiasts, but without success — until now.
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Recently, Tu commented on a post by Dennis Boothby, a Maine resident and metal detector enthusiast, asking if he'd seen the necklace.
Boothby didn't initially remember the heart charm Tu described, but when he reopened a safe that had been locked for over a decade, he found it: the Buddha pendant with the heart charm.
"I knew I had my guy," Boothby said.
He then drove two hours from Saco, Maine, to Worcester to return the treasured piece.
The timing held particular meaning — it was returned the same month Tu lost his friend 18 years ago.
"I was just a child, and my friend was the first significant loss of my life," he shared. "To lose this last physical piece of her was devastating. Getting it back meant so much to me."
"My wife was tearing up, and I got goosebumps," Tu continued. "It was just an incredible feeling."
He plans to pass the necklace on to his son, but not before reuniting with Boothby again.
"We all need a little bit of hope," he reflected. "Even when it seems impossible."
