Nancy Lewis was strolling along Compo Beach in Westport, Conn., when she noticed something unusual floating in the water. As she drew closer, she discovered two black-and-white sonogram photos of an unborn baby. They were dated June 9, 2020, and had the name “Randi Marcucio.”

“I thought, ‘I’ll bet I can track this woman down and return these to her,’” Lewis said. Determined to reunite the photos with their owner, she began searching for Marcucio’s contact information online. She found an address in Oxford, Conn., approximately 35 miles away, but had trouble reaching her through social media.

Randi Marcucio’s home in Oxford, Conn., was destroyed last month when the base of the house collapsed during flooding. Photo courtesy of Randi Marcucio

Instead of mailing the photos, Lewis decided to deliver them in person. The next morning, while she was preparing for the visit, she stumbled upon a GoFundMe page related to Marcucio. The page featured a photo of a collapsed house, and it became clear why the sonograms had ended up in the Long Island Sound.

The GoFundMe page revealed that Marcucio, an emergency room nurse and single mother, had recently experienced catastrophic flooding that destroyed her home on August 19, the very day Lewis discovered the sonograms. The storm had caused severe damage across Southwestern Connecticut and Long Island, leading to extensive flooding and property damage.

Marcucio’s house had been overtaken by floodwaters, which caused it to collapse. The sonograms, which had drifted from her home to the beach, were among the few items to survive the disaster. Fortunately, Marcucio and her son, Rhylee, were safe; Rhylee had been staying with his grandparents that night.

I thought she deserved to get these images back,” Lewis said.

The photos represented a special moment from Marcucio’s life, capturing the early stages of her son’s existence. A few days later, Lewis arrived at Marcucio’s property, which was now in ruins. She brought the photos with her and presented them to Marcucio. In a touching moment captured by NBC Connecticut, Marcucio was visibly moved upon seeing the sonograms. They were the only items she had recovered from the flood, aside from her son’s favorite teddy bear, “Big Bear,” which she had managed to grab before fleeing.

The found sonogram. Photo courtesy of Randi Marcucio

“It was hard to believe that I’m standing next to my house that’s no longer a home, and a lady walks up with a folder holding photos from my ultrasound,” Marcucio said. For her, the return of the sonograms was a poignant reminder of happier times. “I felt really grateful,” she said. “Rhylee and I had survived — we were still here, doing well.”

The sonograms evoked memories of when Marcucio first saw her son’s images. “We’d chosen not to know whether we were having a boy or a girl,” she explained. The storm had devastated her home and community, but the support she received was heartening.

Marcucio’s neighbors and strangers alike rallied to assist her and her son. A local property developer offered them a condo for a year, and donations poured in through a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $203,000.

It was so touching to see strangers coming together to help however they could,” Marcucio said. “People have really rallied. They’ll be my friends for life.”

Lewis plans to keep in touch with Marcucio, feeling fulfilled by her act of kindness. “To get that sonogram back means the world to me,” Marcucio said. “In the midst of all this destruction, it was a welcome bright light.”

Despite the loss of her home, Marcucio remains hopeful. “Rhylee and I are alive. Several people are not. So, you know, maybe to honor those people who can’t move forward, Rhylee and I could just work on thriving, because we survived,” she said. “This is the start. This is the middle. And we’ll finish out with a good long life in the end.”

Sources: NBC CT | Washington Times