A mum said her son "could not stop crying" after his dream trip was ruined.
Robert Barrie was 24 when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease but his mum Lynn said he "always wakes up with a smile on his face". This year Robert's family raised money for him to travel to America and see his favourite ice hockey team in action.
Lynn said that he had the "time of his life" and was even given the chance to meet his heroes after the game where they signed two hockey sticks for him. Robert paid an extra £100 to have the sticks shipped back to the UK but on his return to Manchester, the bag was empty.
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Speaking to the ECHO Lynn said: "This was Rob's dream trip and he has been planning it for months. He is very unwell and for Rob to fly all the way there took so much out of him. He pushed himself to the limit but it was the chance of a lifetime.
"He did not want to come home and got to meet the players which was his dream come true. I was so excited to hear all about it and hug him. When I met him at the airport he was just sobbing his eyes out."
Rob had travelled out of Pittsburgh Airport on December 7 with British Airways and while checking in Robert said the check-in officer "took the sticks out of the bag". The officer put them back in the bag but that was the last time Robert saw them.
MND kills a third of those diagnosed within 12 months and Rob, now 29, has been battling the disease for the past five years. Permanently in a wheelchair, Rob has also lost the use of his hands.
Lynn who is from Runcorn said: "Everyone donated money and worked so hard to get him there and it has ended like this. Rob has been living in hope that they will be found.
"We have the bag they came in but not the sticks which is the most important part. When we got Rob to the van he could not speak so we all ended up in tears it is a nightmare."
A spokesperson for British Airways said: "We’re really sorry to hear about this and we’re urgently investigating with the airports our customer travelled through."
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