An Edmonton woman with a disability is pleading for the return of her stolen van.
The theft has not only left her without transportation, but also the loss of essential and pricey mobility equipment.
Cecilia Nicolas, who has been in a wheelchair since 2005, has poured a lot of money into her Dodge Grand Caravan for repairs and modifications that allow her to drive and give her independence.
“You’re always at home, every day, and you cannot even feel the air. That’s the hard part, but the van, if it was here I could go out and get some air,” Nicolas said.
On Wednesday, she was about to leave the house when she noticed her van was gone.
Nicolas said she believes it was stolen Tuesday night.
As soon as she found out it was missing, along with a brand new wheelchair in the trunk and a driving assist tool worth thousands of dollars, she called police.
A few days after the van was stolen, her missing wheelchair was dropped off at a nearby medical mobility centre.
“Maybe they feel sorry that my wheelchair is there, that’s why they dropped it off somewhere,” she said.
Nicolas said she’ll be happy to get her wheelchair back but still hopes her van will be returned.
“If I can have my own independence again for driving, that’s all I want,” Nicolas said.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Nicolas.