We've all felt the pain of losing a cell phone that had all your contacts and photos and videos of your family and special events. Then there's the shock that comes with suddenly losing the ability to call or text, the FOMO from not being able to check Facebook and Twitter every few minutes, and ultimately the financial hardship of having to replace an expensive device.
For one Denver DJ, the struggle got real when he realized he left his cell phone in Tampa, Florida.
Last Friday, Willie B with radio station KBPI posted a message about how bummed he was.
"Dammnnnn lost my phone today for good, over 4,500 great pics, couple thousand little notes of wisdom I've made up or found over past several years and over 120 videos of home make overs and car cruises and such.. super bummed !! So if you had my number its gonna be while before I can get back to you, but I'll try to get new phone ASAP"
But Willie B just couldn't quit that phone.
He used a phone-finder program to pinpoint exactly where he left it.
"So there's my phone, just laying there with everything I need on it, just off I-4 and 50th in tampa... can't even get a new one with my number till next week, BRUTAL LOSS .." he posted on Facebook on Monday.
A fan, Kristina Simmerman, replied to his post.
"For all that you do for others I'm sure karma has your back. Even from here in Morrison I'm reaching out to my Tampa friends trying to help. Hope we can get you your phone back!" Kristina wrote at 8:38 a.m.
Kristina called her friend Ken Pilcher, who born in Denver and listened to Willie B on KBPI until he moved to Florida.
"He had a GPS location of it and I decided to go hunt it down," Pilcher said. "After about 1/2 hour of scouring the area it showed it was in I saw a homeless gentleman walking and figured I'd ask. Sure enough, he had it!!!! He found it right where I had been looking. How crazy is that!? I threw him $20 and dropped it off at the Studio where Willie films Two Guys Garage."
Pilcher found the phone less than three hours after Willie B posted the photo of the GPS location.
"You're such a blessing Kristina.. your boy just found it.. holy hell man.. unreal," Willie B wrote at 10:56 a.m.
A few hours later, Willie B posted more information about how the phone was found:
"So unreal what happened this morning, Ken who listens on IHeart, has lived in tampa for just over decade, is like 20 min from where the pic of where the "find my phone" app says it is, hits me up on fb says he's headed over there to look, I'm on phone with him as he's walking around side of road looking for it and sees homeless man watching, asks if he's seen a phone round there, homeless man says yeah found one 3 days ago but it's locked ... gives it to him."
(PHOTO: Fan Ken Pilcher, who found Willie B's phone.)
"I got my phone back from 1,900 miles away.. so blown away.. Thanks SO much Ken, that homeless man, IHeart, kristina, and Karma for this Blessing for sure.. CRAZY," Willie B posted.