CHESTNUTHILL TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- To many of us, a phone is just a device to make calls and send text messages, but to 7-year-old Oliver Voulo from Albrightsville, his phone is a safety net.
"He's nonverbal, so for him, it's very sentimental to be able to look back and see pictures of himself and the places we have been, and so he kind of carried it around with him everywhere like a little mobile scrapbook," said Rachel Voulo, Albrightsville.
Oliver has autism and uses his mom's old cell phone to look at pictures and videos from when he was younger.
Last week, while Oliver and his mom Rachel were out running errands, Oliver lost his mobile scrapbook in the Brodheadsville area.
Rachel has been trying to retrace her steps and even posted about it on social media.
"He just loves pictures of his family, pictures of himself, so lots of tears were shed on my behalf when I realized we had lost it," said Rachel.
Rachel says with all the different places she and her son were before the phone went missing, including at Chestnuthill Park, she understands it's like finding a needle in a haystack, but she's not giving up hope that the phone will turn up.
"The phone itself is an iPhone 4, a white one. It has a little puncture wound in the camera lens which is why I didn't use it anymore. It has a pink and purple flower case on it as well. It's very distinct. If you happen to stumble upon it, that would be amazing," said Rachel.
Rachel says while the phone can be replaced, a lot of the pictures and videos were not saved, and Oliver is missing his memories terribly.
"I want him to be able to have the special kind of closeness that he did to that little, little machine, but to him, it means the world," said Rachel.
Rachel says because the phone was old, the "Find My Phone" feature was turned off, so they can't find it through a GPS location.
The family is offering a cash reward to anyone who finds the phone with all its contents on it.
If you find the phone, you're asked to email Rachel at rachelvoulo@gmail.com.