Internet helps reunite owner with snow globe trashed at airport

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Snow globes are a captivating and sentimental sight for a child. So, when Ivelise Hernandez witnessed one of those treasures being turned into trash by airport security at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport back in February, her boyfriend fished it out.

They then turned to Facebook to find it's rightful owner.

"I thought it would share a couple hundred times, but as the day went on, it was more and more. Thousands kept adding on," Hernandez said.

One week later, Hernandez's post has been shared over 48,000 times. Wednesday, the Internet finally connected the dots.

An employee of Things Remembered saw Hernandez's post and searched through her records to find the phone number of the person who ordered the engraved gift. That person was Linda Modry.

"This was something really special for my granddaughter, Katie. My son adopted her. January 25 was the final day for it!" the grandmother said late Wednesday afternoon.

Modry said she was overjoyed that someone would go to such lengths for a stranger. She was reunited with her granddaughter's gift outside of Hernandez's Tampa home.

Hernandez said she's happy she could help.

"My mom always raised us to always be good to people. If it was me and I lost my snow globe, I'd want the same thing to happen to me," she smiled.

Modry said her granddaughter was devastated when they couldn't bring the globe home to Ohio, adding her son tried to check the gift at Allegiant Air's ticket counter, but had no luck there either. He was forced to throw it in the trash and run for his gate.

Modry said reuniting with the treasured gift was the happiest ending she could have hoped for.

Modry's granddaughter's birthday is next month. She and her husband will travel to Ohio for it and said, this time, they'll make sure the globe is properly packed.