On July 20, the Dominguez family was returning from a vacation in Bali to Plano, Texas, with a stopover at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. But they find out too late that Valentina’s nine-year-old “best friend”, the doll Beatrice, is not flying with them.

“When he went missing, I felt so sad, it really broke my heart,” Valentina said later on the show Good morning America. Her father added that they searched all the luggage for Beatrice, even though they knew she was last seen on the plane to Tokyo. They called and wrote to the airline but to no avail. So they launched a search on social networks.

There, the desperate post was discovered by pilot James Danen, who frequently flies to Japan for Amerivan Airlines and lives in the Dallas metropolitan area, which also includes Plano. He contacted Turkish Airlines’ search and find department at Haneda Airport and Beatrice was found on the second attempt.

“It’s natural for me, I just want to help other people,” James answered later when asked why he got involved in such an event.

She carried the doll with her for about three weeks before she had time to give it to little Valentina. However, in the meantime, he candidly documents his journey with Beatrice on social media and reports on their current whereabouts.

The girl’s reunion with her doll is certainly very joyful. Apart from Beatrice, James also brought some Japanese sweets and also a map that he marked wherever they traveled together.

But not long after a happy Valentina hugged the doll and James, she couldn’t help but wonder if Beatrice was okay on the road. “Truly exemplary,” the experienced pilot replied.