GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Greeneville couple who lost everything after Hurricane Helene were reunited with an item they thought was lost forever.

“We thought it’s [their home] out in the middle of nowhere,” Michael Young said. “It’s nice and quiet, it’s peaceful and it’s a good place to retire. So we moved out there and living there when the flood came along.

Michael and Sandra Young were living in Greeneville when floodwaters swept their home away, taking all their belongings with it.

“It’s the following day when you get up, you’ve got to brush your teeth,” Michael Young said. “You don’t have toothpaste, don’t have a toothbrush, don’t have any soap. You have nothing.”

Campbell Shelton is one of the hundreds of people tasked with clearing debris across the region.

He came across a small box that was filled with the ashes of the Youngs family dog, Mickey.

“We’re just going to take a walk. I happened to be looking around and seen this box… seen some debris on top of it. Took it to Cory Hobson, and we looked into it and he ended up doing the footwork to reunite it back to its owners”

Shelton and Hobson found the phone number of the Youngs former vet in Nevada. After a few phone calls, the two men were finally able to reunite the Youngs with Mickey.

“Absolutely shocked of all things to find,” Sarah Young said. “It’s in such a good quality box.”

“The only thing we have gotten back out of there is the box,” Michael Young said.

The Youngs want their story to give other victims of Helene something they may not feel right now: hope.

“I hope it gives somebody hope that if they’re able to find any of their belongings, whether it’s their home or whatever they lost, and maybe there’s something out there,” Sarah Young said.

Despite losing everything in the storm, the Youngs say they are blessed due to the response from family, friends and the community.

“This is all they have left, so this might be heartwarming to them, and it’s a blessing to get to reunite it with the owners,” Shelton said.

The Youngs are living in an apartment in Knoxville for now and said they plan to move back to Greeneville once they’re able.