Wendy Vulpi is a mother from Chapin, South Carolina, who suffered a deep loss when her son was killed in a car accident two years ago.
The driver of the other vehicle was impaired, according to WACH-TV in Columbia.
This year, Vulpi’s son, Nick — whom she affectionately refers to as “my bunny boy” — would have been 23.
As part of her grieving process, she ordered a bespoke necklace charm that features her son’s fingerprint. Whenever she sees something beautiful, is overcome with sadness or is somehow otherwise reminded of her son, she touches the charm, which she wears around her neck along with another rose gold charm.
Vulpi and her family recently took a trip to Las Vegas over Thanksgiving, and they went to see the Christmas lights at Resorts World, according to KLAS-TV in Las Vegas.
Overcome by the beauty of the Christmas lights, Vulpi moved to touch the charm around her neck — but it was gone.
“When I seen the lights and how beautiful they are, I went to touch his fingerprint, and that is when I seen that the necklace was gone and I was just heartbroken,” she said, according to KLAS. “I really think that it broke off because there was a little piece of the chain on my shirt.”
Vulpi hopes that someone may have found the charm and she will be reunited with it. She’s notified all the businesses she patronized that day, has gone on the news and is offering a reward, all in the hopes that she’ll get her own “Christmas miracle” and get her precious keepsake back.
“$500 REWARD for NECKLACE with TWO CHARMS,” she posted on Facebook on Nov. 24. “We returned our car rental lastnight and we took an Uber to meet family at Enchant to see the Christmas lights at Resorts World, in Las Vegas Nevada. I went to rub my sons fingerprint I have on my necklace and the necklace was gone.
“I filled a lost and found report at Resorts world, Sixt car rental and contacted the Uber driver with no luck.
“The necklace means so much to me, so much sentimental value. It’s a rose gold necklace with a silver charm with my sons fingerprint engraved on it and on the back engraved says ‘my bunny boy’ and a rose gold rose charm, all from the funeral home. Please share this post in hopes it will be returned.”
By Nov. 30, she’d upped the reward to $1,000. In an updated post, Vulpi said she believes she lost the charm at either Enchant or Resorts World.
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Some have asked if she can get a replacement from the funeral home, and she said that she could but it just wouldn’t be the same.
“I can replace it but it won’t be the original that I’ve worn the last 2 years and have touched in times of grief, when I see something beautiful that reminds me of him or when I’m thinking of him for comfort; I want the original back and truly believe it will be returned some day,” Vulpi posted on Tuesday.
“Until then it’s ok because I carry Nicholas with me forever and always in my heart and soul. Thank you everyone for sharing the story for it to of reached so far.”
