NEED TO KNOW

• Pittsburgh Steelers fan Danijela claims in a TikTok that a group of Bills fans stole her Terrible Towel during Sunday’s game
• She explains the towel held deep sentimental value as it was a gift from her late mother
• After posting about the incident on TikTok, her video went viral as fans from both teams shared support and urged for the towel’s return

One Pittsburgh Steelers fan is feeling heartbroken after her experience at this week’s game.

In a TikTok video, a woman named Danijela Jergan — who goes by @danijelajergan on the platform — shared that she attended the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills game on Sunday, Nov. 30, at Acrisure Stadium.

Jergan says she was seated in section 124 during the matchup, in which the Bills defeated the Steelers 26–7. But in the final 10 minutes of the game, she says things took an upsetting turn when a group of Bills fans walked by her seats.

“[This] group of Bills fans walked past us and stole my mom’s Terrible Towel that she gave to me that was embroidered with a special message from her to me because we were such big Steelers fans,” she says in the video.

She notes in the video that she and her friend weren’t causing any issues at the time. “It’s not even like we were annoying,” she says. “We were literally losing and not being annoying at all, minding our own business.”

According to the Steelers’ website, the Terrible Towel has been a cornerstone of team tradition since 1975, when broadcaster Myron Cope created it as a rallying symbol. Over the years, it has become one of the NFL’s most recognizable emblems — something fans often tie to family, memories and team pride.

Jergan says on the bottom left corner of her towel was a black stitched message, “Always with you, moja jedina” from her mom, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in February.

“The towel was a keepsake from my mother & meant more to me than any amount of money or attention that this situation has caused,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “My mother battled stage 4 pancreatic cancer for five years (we lost her battle last February, four days after my 28th birthday) and my family spent the last two Christmases in the hospital with my mother.”

She continues, “I brought that towel for her to wave for every single game because she wouldn’t let me leave the house without it!”

After the game, Danijela says the emotional weight of what happened began to sink in. She and her friends went to a bar, where she describes having a “full-on panic attack,” eventually calling her boyfriend to pick her up.

“If at all possible, I hope this reaches those people so that they can return that Terrible Towel to me because that was very important to me,” she says in the video.

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Since sharing the incident on TikTok, her post has gone viral, reaching more than 780,000 people.

People were quick to flood the comments, including fans from both sides.

“This is not ok! I have my Terrible Towel from my Dad who I lost & I know how heartbroken I would be. Find her towel 🖤💛” one person wrote.

“As a Buffalo native and Bills fan, those fans do NOT represent who we are as billsmafia and bills fans alike,” another user chimed in. “I am really sorry this happened to you. As someone who lost their dad I couldn’t imagine. I really hope someone pulls through and finds it for you.”

Jergan also responded to people criticizing her for bringing something so meaningful to a game.

“For the people saying, ‘I shouldn’t bring something so valuable somewhere it can get lost,’ I’ve brought this towel to many games before and have never thought in a million years that I would be the person that something like this would have happened,” she says.

“I lived in Baltimore, as a Steelers fan, for 10 years,” she adds. “I believe in sports banter just as much as the next person. However, theft is a whole different narrative. The people making the narrative that I’m ‘making this up’ or that are attacking my character, I have no words, and I am just going to pray for them. Whether it is gone completely or destroyed, I’m encouraging whoever this was can just give me some peace of mind, and we can all move on.”

She added that the support she’s received has helped her stay hopeful.

“I’m overwhelmed by the people from both teams who have reached out to me, offering to replace my towel,” she continues. “Although not everyone thinks this narrative is true, the people that have stood up for me and have offered me information, photos, etc., have given me some peace of mind. I’m still hopeful — that’s all we can be — that it will be returned.”

“If this helps raise awareness to pancreatic cancer and how sports can help heal some of the heartache I’ve felt, then that is all I can ask,” she adds. “Having this happen to me was more than just the game — it was a connection to my mother I had since birth.”

Read the original article on People