July 9, 2025 | Kerr County, Texas — In a week defined by unimaginable loss across the Texas Hill Country, one mother’s quiet plea has emerged as the most gut-wrenching story yet — not because of what she lost, but because of the one thing she begged rescuers to find.
Her daughter, 7-year-old Lila Mae Johnson, was among the children swept away when sudden floodwaters overtook cabins at Camp Mystic early on July 4. While the official search teams scoured riverbanks and debris fields, Lila’s mother, Emily Johnson, made only one request:
“Please… just find her teddy bear. She took it everywhere.”
The bear, named Mr. Wiggles, was with Lila since she was a toddler — faded yellow, with one ear stitched back on by her grandmother, and a tiny heart button sewn to its chest. Emily knew her daughter might not come back. But she hoped something would.
After four days of searching through piles of debris, tree branches, and mud-covered belongings, members of a local volunteer rescue team spotted a soggy bundle lodged between two rocks near a collapsed wooden bridge. It was Mr. Wiggles.
“We knew right away,” said one rescuer. “The button heart was still there, even though the bear was soaked and torn.”
But it wasn’t until they carefully opened the teddy bear’s velcro pouch — which Lila used to hide “secrets” — that the moment shattered everyone at the scene.
Inside was a small folded note, written in crayon, sealed in plastic.
It read:
“Dear Mommy, if I ever get lost, don’t be sad. Mr. Wiggles will help you find me. I’ll love you forever — Lila 🧸❤️”
The rescuer who found it reportedly dropped to his knees. Others stood in silence.
“We’ve seen so much pain this week,” said one first responder. “But that little note… it broke us.”
When the bear was returned to Emily, she didn’t say a word. She just held it to her chest and cried for several minutes, rocking gently in the corner of the shelter, whispering her daughter’s name.
The story of Mr. Wiggles has since gone viral across social media under the hashtag #LilasBear, with thousands of people posting drawings, teddy bears, and messages of remembrance.
One user wrote:
“She didn’t want money. She didn’t want cameras. She just wanted a bear. And inside it, we found her daughter’s love.”
As rescue and recovery efforts continue across Texas, stories like this are reminders that sometimes, the most powerful grief is not loud — it’s quiet, soaked in memory, and sewn into something as simple as a child’s favorite toy.
Rest in peace, Lila Mae. And thank you, Mr. Wiggles, for finding your way home.