When Pura Fe Crescioni posted about her stolen coat on Facebook, she never expected it to go viral.
“I had no idea this would happen,” Crescioni said.
She and her husband made the coat themselves with moose hide, fringe, suede, velvet, beadwork -- it is an homage to their Native American heritage.
“All the paintings are creation stories from my nation,” explained Crescioni.
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It was in her carry-on luggage which was stolen on a WestJet flight from Edmonton, Canada to Seattle. There was no overhead bin space available on the back of the plane where she was sitting, so she had to store her luggage at the front of the plane. When the plane landed and she went to get her bag, it was gone.
Crescioni is a musician, part of the group Ulali Project. One of her drums was also stolen along with other valuables like jewelry.
“I'm not angry,” she said. “I was disappointed someone would do this.”
It happened on Nov. 17.
She was ready to let it go.
“My husband said post about the coat, you never know,” Crescioni added.
So she did. But she also wrote "there are things that are far more important... like my sister in dire need of a kidney transplant."
And what happened next was a huge surprise.
The post has been shared more than 148,000 times.
And it's become about more than just the coat.
One person wrote "What is your sister's blood type if you don’t mind me asking?"
“The coat has become medicine for her,” Crescioni said.
Her sister is 36-year-old Charly Lowry, a dear friend whom Crescioni has known for more than 20 years.
She's a singer, part of Crescioni's Ulali Project and also the lead singer of Dark Water Rising.
“That’s what this coat is now,” Crescioni said. “It's becoming something that is helping my sister.”
There have been sightings of the coat in Port Orchard, SeaTac, and in Eugene, Oregon.
“In the long run, it's just stuff. If it gets returned that’s great. It’s stuff,” Crescioni said. “So to me, this stuff that I lost has become a lot better because of Charly. To me that’s where this stuff becomes valuable, being able to put the word out for her.”
If you want to help Charly, click here.