To some, Raffi the stuffed giraffe may look like an ordinary stuffed toy, but to 8-year-old Colson Tabbert, Raffi is the one constant source of comfort in a life of struggle... and now he's lost.
Raffi was last seen in the Philadelphia area when Colson visited from Milwaukee for an appointment at Shriner's Hospital.
Colson suffers from a disability called Anthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, which means "crooked joint" according to his mother Jennifer, "He is affected in his arms and legs, and the condition restricts his movement. He is unable to walk and has limited range of motion in his arms."
The disability has meant multiple surgeries for Colson over his 8 years and Raffi hasn't missed one, Jennifer told NBC10. Raffi means so much to Colson Jennifer even dedicated a blog post to the special stuffed friend.[[366154441, C]]
In a plea for help when Jennifer realized Raffi was missing, she turned to facebook. In the post, Jennifer explains that Colkson and his father stayed at the Holiday Inn in Cherry Hill, NJ, rented a car from the Thrifty/Dollar rental on Holstein Avenue in Philadelphia, and flew on Southwest Air flights #2712 from Philadelphia to Atlanta and #232 from Atlanta to Milwaukee.
"Raffi could really be anywhere," she said, "He could have been lost in the hallways (of the hotel), the parking lot, the car, the lobby of Thrifty/dollar, the shuttle to the airport, the airport, the flights...."
Jennifer is hoping someone sees Raffi and contacts her via her facebook page.