HOUSTON – What makes a possession precious?
Some may say its cost while other may measure it based on beauty.
In the eyes of Patricia Nguyen, it's more about where and who it came from. She is in possession of a 100-year-old piece of jade handed down from her great grandmother.
"I don't know how much this costs right now, but for me, money can't buy this," Nguyen said.
The gem is as much a part of her as her flesh and blood.
"I lost my sister three years ago (and) so that's why I am the second oldest," she said. "And that's why I have it."
The past few years have been hard for Nguyen, who was diagnosed with cancer. One day after her first treatment, she came back to her southeast Houston home to find her house had been burglarized and ransacked. Her precious family heirloom was stolen.
"The box on the bed. Everything thrown out," Nguyen said. "The drawer with the piece of my jewelry is already open and empty. So I know. I know that I lost it."
Nguyen thought she'd never see her heirloom again. However, Pasadena police and Harris County Precinct 2 constables were already tracking down leads in similar cases. The officers were able to connect a photo to a suspect and the suspect to Nguyen's stolen treasure.
"Returning property to these people and seeing the look on their faces makes it all worth it," Detective Buckert, with the Pasadena Police Department, said.
Nguyen repaid the officers Friday with a home-cooked meal and her sheer gratitude for a second chance at reclaiming her history and happiness.
"He brought me the good news. And I cried. He knows that I cried on the phone," Nguyen said.
She is grateful to have a second chance at reclaiming her history and happiness.
"It gives me chills to even think how great it was that we could help this lady," Vance Mitchell, with the City of Pasadena.