Teen's soccer ball lost in tsunami washes up in Alaska

A teenage boy, who thought he lost everything in last year's devastating tsunami, just found out that his one-prized possession— a soccer ball survived after it floated over 3,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean all the way to Alaska.

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the ball with the 16-year old's name inscribed on it is one of the first pieces of debris from the March 11, 2011 tsunami to start washing up on North American shores.

A man found the ball while beachcombing on an Alaskan island, and his wife, who is Japanese, spoke with the ball's owner, Misaki Murakami, by phone over the weekend.

No, the ball's name is not Wilson.

David and Yumi Baxter said they would send the ball back to the young man.  Murakami, from the town of Rikuzentakata, said he was surprised and thankful for the return of something so meaningful.