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memorial balloon
Nicola Bowler wanted to commemorate the first anniversary of her father's death at the beginning of September — but had no idea her message would end up traveling more than 1,500km (950 miles) and across several countries.
Nicola, 42, and her husband released the special star-shaped helium balloon that said: “Always missed, but never forgotten Dad, Derek."
At the last minute, she decided to put her phone number on both sides, with a plea to text her so she could see how far the balloon had traveled.
At first the balloon got caught in the trees surrounding the cemetery where Derek Wood now rests, and had to be prodded out by Mrs. Bowler's husband.
She told the PA news agency: “I didn't expect it to get very far, maybe another town in Birmingham.
“Four days later I got a text message saying 'your dad has traveled to Poland.' I had no idea what it meant until my husband reminded me of the balloon."
The balloon traveled to Troszkowo, a village located in an area of north-eastern Poland where a farmer had found it in his field.
Mrs. Bowler said: “I felt like I wanted to send a message to my dad, and I did that.
“He wasn't very well traveled — he had maybe three or four abroad holidays in his life — and he would have found this so funny. He had such a good sense of humor and was always making us laugh."
Her father died unexpectedly last September due to undiagnosed asbestos-related cancer, from when he had worked as a roofer when he was younger.
Mrs. Bowler said: “Originally I thought it couldn't have possibly have got that far, but I googled the number – it was a Polish number.
“It was such a shock that a balloon could have traveled that far."