'One in a million:' Brandon couple reunited with lost pendant containing infant's ashes

BRANDON, Fla. - A Brandon couple was reunited with a lost pendant containing their premature daughter's ashes thanks to good Samaritans and a Facebook post. 

For Heisel Canales and Maria Hughley, the beach at the Sunset Bar & Grill in Ruskin is special in so many ways. 

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"This beach means a lot to us," Canales said.

The beach served as a backdrop for many of their milestones. 

"It was about four years ago, and we just came as friends, and we went over there and had our first date," he said. 

Once Hughley was pregnant with twins, the couple frequented the beach to relax. Months later, on April 21st, 2023, Hughley gave birth to a boy and a girl four months prematurely. They named the boy Heisel Jr. and the girl, Adoracion.

Heisel Jr. 

"Adoracion, which is her middle name and her mom's name," he said, "For six long months, our daughter fought that battle and, unfortunately, on October 27th, she fought her last battle."

Adoracion

The couple returned to the beach for a proper send-off and made matching pendants containing her ashes. Heisel Jr. remains in the pediatric NICU to this day. 

"We still have her brother and to us, these little things that we carry is our form of just carrying on her legacy," he said.

On April 20th this year, the couple visited the beach yet again for a marriage proposal. But it wasn't long after that Canales realized his pendant was missing. 

"Once I realized, I got highly upset, and her mom was there with me, and we looked for like 40 minutes through everything."

By some miracle, seven days later, good Samaritans from Nova Scotia somehow found the pendant and turned it into the restaurant. 

Front House Manager Rebecca Andreakos said between all the foot traffic and regular raking of the beach for garbage, this was one in a million. 

"The fact that seven days later they were able to find the pendant, and it wasn't on the chain or anything it was just that small, tiny little pendant was a million to one," she said.

Andreakos made a Facebook post on the restaurant's page about it that's garnered over 2,100 shares.

On Saturday, the couple was reunited with the pendant. 

"I had given up on finding it just because you lose something like that in the sand, you're not thinking you're going to find it again," Canales said, "It's like having the other half piece to my heart."