Stolen wheelchairs returned to disabled Tacoma woman
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TACOMA, Wash. -- The heartless thieves who stole a disabled Tacoma woman's van and expensive wheelchairs also robbed her of her independence, but a pair of good Samaritans are now giving the woman a reason to be thankful this holiday season.
Michelle Van Cise suffers from lupus and fibromyalgia, which causes her legs to tire from pain and inflammation. On Tuesday, someone stole her van while it was parked in an alley near her home. She said the van itself wasn't worth much, but the wheelchairs inside were.
"I've had people come in and just rob me and take everything and now they took the van, but they took the Jazzys (wheelchairs) and those are my legs," she said.
The Jazzy wheelchair gave her the freedom to go to the beach, the grocery store, to walk her dogs.
She reached out to Medicare, hoping for help replacing her $10,000 scooter. Her ex-husband's was stolen from the van, too. Scraping by on Social Security, Van Cise is trying to make extra money beading jewelry.
Just when it looked liked she'd never get the chairs back, a Tacoma couple who had learned of Van Cise's trouble watching KOMO News found the chairs at an abandoned lot in Tacoma.
The couple contacted Tacoma police, who returned the chairs to Van Cise on Wednesday night.
"This is it. This is my throne," Van Cise said.
Michelle Van Cise suffers from lupus and fibromyalgia, which causes her legs to tire from pain and inflammation. On Tuesday, someone stole her van while it was parked in an alley near her home. She said the van itself wasn't worth much, but the wheelchairs inside were.
"I've had people come in and just rob me and take everything and now they took the van, but they took the Jazzys (wheelchairs) and those are my legs," she said.
The Jazzy wheelchair gave her the freedom to go to the beach, the grocery store, to walk her dogs.
She reached out to Medicare, hoping for help replacing her $10,000 scooter. Her ex-husband's was stolen from the van, too. Scraping by on Social Security, Van Cise is trying to make extra money beading jewelry.
Just when it looked liked she'd never get the chairs back, a Tacoma couple who had learned of Van Cise's trouble watching KOMO News found the chairs at an abandoned lot in Tacoma.
The couple contacted Tacoma police, who returned the chairs to Van Cise on Wednesday night.
"This is it. This is my throne," Van Cise said.
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Updated and she has her chairs back. Now if they could just find that van...
Check Cragslist - it's a known place for thieves to unload their merchandise.
I have a regular wheel chair and would love to donate if it would help.
Oh, great. Contact the Revairas - they won't hesitate to help, providing a free replacement for what you lost, at least according to the story currently on page one about Problem Solvers' "heroic" deed of getting a wheelchair lift replaced for free...
Whoever stole the van was probably looking for tools and just happened to take a van with a wheelchair in it. I say that because when my husband's really old car was stolen and we wondered why on earth anyone would want it, the police said in most cases with older vehicles the thieves are hoping it's a work vehicle and will have some tools in it. My husband's didn't have any tools or anything else that could be sold so they just dumped it and the police found it about a week later. In this case, I'm afraid there may be some kind of "black market" for these wheelchair/scooters. Especially since they are so pricey to buy. It's just sad that people have no respect for other people's property, not even property that so greatly impacts the quality of someone's life.
First I hear about a ramp and now a wheelchair. Is someone out there unable to pay for equipment for someone they are caring for and are just stealing others equipment? This is so WRONG! I hope karma comes back on these people or person and make them dependable on this stuff, and someone comes and takes it from them.