New Brunswick man speaks out after wheelchair stolen: ‘That chair is my life’

To say life for Doug Ferron has been tough would be an understatement.

The Saint John, N.B. resident’s first operation to fix his legs was at the age of 14, and eventually, the medical work resulted in the loss of his hips.

Despite this, he said he often tries to remain positive because, “I mean I’m still, here right?”

However, Ferron’s livelihood was recently seized when he learned his wheelchair had been stolen.

“I was very upset when my chair was gone, like I felt like I wanted to hurt myself or whatever, but I kind of slowed down and mellowed down a bit,” Ferron told Global News in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

This marks the second time in two years Ferron has seen his wheelchair stolen.

Ferron said the wheelchair was taken last week when it disappeared from his shed. “It’s sad,” he said, to think someone could take such an important piece of his life away.

“I can’t get out to my appointments, I can’t go see my uncle Kenny for coffee. There’s certain things I can’t do, and I’m just trapped in the house all the time,” remarked a frustrated Ferron.

Without the wheelchair, Ferron hasn’t been able to leave the house, instead relying on a walker to move.

“To me that chair is my life because, that’s the only thing — I get out there in the community to enjoy life,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Saint John Police Force said they were looking for a motorized wheelchair that was stolen last month.

A news release stated the wheelchair was stolen from the 200 block of Pitt Street in Uptown Saint John between the hours of 11 p.m. on March 28 and 3 a.m. on March 29.

The model was described as a 2019 Quantum Wheelchair.

“The motorized wheelchair is described as having a red frame, black seat cushions and being controlled by a joystick control,” Sgt. Stephen Davidson said in an interview Wednesday.

While costs can vary depending on customization, Davidson said the replacement value is estimated to be about $10,000.

Typically, wheelchairs are customized to the user, so as part of the investigation, police follow up at locations where the stolen property may be sold.

“It’s not typical (to see a wheelchair stolen), it’s something obviously very specific to an individual,” he said.

“There aren’t a lot of them that you do see publicly, so something like this would stick out to the public.”

Anyone with information about the wheelchair is asked to contact police at 1-506-648-3333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

In the meantime, Ferron will remain hopeful that his wheelchair will return home. He said conversations have already begun to see if provincial partners will cover the cost of a replacement.

If that doesn’t work, Ferron said he would turn to the community to help pay for a new one.”

“I’d be happy — I mean, I’d be really happy — if somebody found my chair.”

— with files from Alex Cooke

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