Boy, 5, reunited with teddy bear lost at Milwaukee airport in November

Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A 5-year-old Texas boy who lost his teddy bear at a Wisconsin airport in 2021 was reunited with his beloved toy after the airport launched a social media campaign to find the stuffed animal's owner.

David Burnett said his family was catching a flight home to Texas at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport after Thanksgiving when his son, Ezekiel, 5, tossed his teddy bear into the air, where it became stuck in some rafters.

"He was tossing it up in the air, you know -- kids. And he tossed it a little bit too high, and it got stuck up in the rafters," David Burnett told WITI-TV. "And I looked at it and said, 'Nope, that's there. It's not coming back down.' And from there, giant tears came down."

Airport workers found the bear in January and a social media campaign was launched to find the teddy's owner.

The airport's posts went viral on Twitter, Facebook and Tiktok after social media users pointed out the heart shape on the teddy bear's chest, which could signify that its owner has a heart condition.

Burnett said his wife saw one of the posts when a friend shared it on Facebook.

"My wife was sitting there, and a friend of hers had shared it via Facebook," he told WISN-TV. "It was just a fun story. She was just on her phone and then she just jumped up and then she said, she couldn't even speak! I looked at it, and I was like, 'That's his bear.' Without a doubt, and it just took off from there."

The airport had Ezekiel and his dad flown to Milwaukee for a reunion with the teddy bear Tuesday morning.

"I'm so happy," Ezekiel told WTMJ-TV.

Burnett said Ezekiel is in perfect health, but the parents were happy to learn the teddy bear's story had raised awareness of children with heart problems.

Harold Mester, director of public affairs and marketing for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, said the hub also benefited from the story of Ezekiel's bear in an unexpected way.

"And now as a result, MKE has more TikTok followers than any other airport in the world," he said.