It’s a not-so-happy ending for one London, Ont., family, whose nine-year-old daughter’s wheelchair was stolen and then returned broken beyond repair.
On Tuesday afternoon, Haley Fair, 21, posted in the London Giving Tree Facebook group that her sister, nine-year-old Aaliyah Faulknor’s custom pink wheelchair had been stolen overnight from their front porch.
The wheelchair, she said, was valued at $7,000 and took 14 months for the family to receive five years ago.
Faulknor was born 17 weeks premature and has cerebral palsy. Fair told Global News her sister is able to walk 10 steps with a walker but uses the chair every time they go outside the home and while she is at school.
She said they did not notice the chair was missing until Tuesday afternoon because they usually store it in one of their vehicles.
“We left it out by accident, it has happened a handful of times, and we don’t live in the safest neighbourhood so we try to put it away, but we never thought anyone would steal it,” Fair said.
Fair posted a security camera video of a suspect taking the chair from the family’s front porch in London’s east end the previous night.
Wednesday morning police say a man was arrested in possession of the chair and it was returned to the family.
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Police say a knife was also seized. The suspect is currently in custody and an investigation into the theft is ongoing.
“We were pretty excited and were waiting for them outside, and when they pulled her chair out it looked so different, we did not even think it was her chair,” Fair said.
“It was completely torn apart, it’s been spray painted, four of the six wheels are missing, her seat and all the parts under her seat and her backrest is gone, and a lot of parts have been cut.”
“It’s completely destroyed, and it isn’t repairable.”
She estimates there are thousands of dollars of parts missing.
“I don’t think it’s really registered with her how destroyed the chair is, but we were all upset — that’s her legs, she needs the chair to do normal activities.”
Fair said she appreciates everyone who has reached out to help and that several chairs have been offered in the interim, but it won’t be the same as her sister’s.
“Her seat is custom made so she is comfortable sitting in it for long periods of time, it’s high performance, the wheels are at a specific length so that she can self-propel easily.”
“A loaner will definitely help, but it won’t be ideal for her, and she will still be missing independence,” Fair said.
In the hopes of replacing the chair and speeding up the wait time, the family has now started a GoFundMe to help pay for a new one.
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