What was once lost has now been found.
A Lafayette woman has been reunited with the priceless ring given to her by her mother who passed away in December from Pancreatic cancer.
The ring made its way home this morning after being found in the Champagne's parking lot.
The ring's owner, Katie Bueche, says that the whole ordeal has been overwhelming.
"For a while I wasn't sure if I was going to find it," she says. "The parking lot of Champagne's is pretty big and who knows if someone found it, turned it in or maybe kept it. It is a beautiful ring."
After noticing the ring missing on Tuesday, Katie searched extensively but had no luck.
That's when she turned to Facebook, asking the community for help and even offering a $1,000 reward for the ring's return.
That call was answered by a woman who located the ring on Tuesday and contacted Bueche on Wednesday. The two met at William S. Nacol Jewelers in Lafayette on Thursday morning and the ring was a match.
"It's hard to find honest people these days. She could have easily kept it because it is a nice ring," says Katie. "She called me several times last night and was overjoyed it was for me."
Katie says that the ring's return has made her feel like there is hope for humanity.
A little damaged from its stay in the parking lot, Katie says the ring has been left in the care of the jewelers who will make it new again.
And to all of those who shared the post, Katie says she has nothing but thanks.
"I just want to say thank you for all who shared the post. I know my mom is happy about that because this ring was special to our family," she says. "Thank you all for sharing and helping me find my ring."
Once repaired, Katie will finally be reunited with a piece of her mother that she thought was gone forever.
Katie believes that her mom played a very big part in bringing the ring home.
In a follow-up post, Katie says that losing the ring has allowed her to share her mother's story as 20-month cancer survivor and remind her community to remain Lafayette Strong.
See more from Katie describing the ring's return:
