The kindness of complete strangers who got together to help find a discontinued toy for a disabled teen is warming hearts all over the U.K.
Josie Wheel, 18, from Coventry, took to social media to check if anyone had access to a Vtech Light Up Learning Bug, which has been her 15-year-old sister’s favorite toy since her second birthday. Rosie has Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties or PMLD, and Josie says she relies a lot on her beloved toy.
“Rosie loves everything about her ladybug – it fulfills all her sensory needs as it’s tactile, has flashing lights, and sings songs,” Josie Wheel said. “Ladybug is her whole life, it goes on holiday with her, to hospital, she has one at school. It is the first thing she wants when she wakes up and the last thing she has before she goes to bed.”
People quickly contacted her from around the world in response to her plea for a working toy. “Countless people” have got in touch offering to fix Rosie’s broken toys, while others have written to Vtech through email to see if they could help out.
People in the UK have located toys from local sellers and strangers from countries as far as Malta, Spain, and France and helped to translate messages from sellers abroad.
“The offers have been so crazy!” says Wheel. “It feels pretty surreal because we had no idea that this would take off as much as it has. We have searched for her ladybug before and it’s never had this kind of reach! It’s so amazing to see so many people offer to help in so many ways.”