The parents of a young Calgary boy with cerebral palsy say they’re overwhelmed by the support they received after their son’s pediatric walker was stolen.
The walker was inside the family’s truck, which was taken from their home on Tuesday evening.
Father Dustin Heikkinen said he made the discovery on Wednesday morning.
“Went to leave the house and the truck was missing. We realized right away his walker was in it.”
“He can’t quite balance or walk on his own,” Heikkinen said of young Henry. “He uses it every day.”
Heartbroken, the family contacted police.
Henry’s aunt then took to social media to ask Calgarians to be on the lookout for the stolen truck, tweeting a photo of Henry and his walker to help others identify the device.
Within a few short hours, the tweet had been retweeted over 200 times and was trending in Calgary.
“To have people that you don’t even know take such an interest in getting something back to a little kid… it really is heartwarming,” Heikkinen said.
By Wednesday evening, police had located the truck, which had been abandoned nearby.
“We got it back and the walker was in it,” Heikkinen said.
“It really is heartwarming to know that there’s such a sense of community,” he added. “People really care.”
– With files from Paul Haysom