A brazen thief stole a child’s high-tech wheelchair in a heinous act that was captured on camera.
Aliyah Rivera, 12, of Ossining, New York State, has spoken to local media about her difficulties after her wheelchair was stolen.
She and her family expressed how shocked they were at the incident and a GoFundMe page has since been set up in hopes of replacing her wheelchair and her laptop that was also stolen by the thief.
“I have Acute Flaccid Myelitis, it's an inflammation in the spinal cord," Rivera said, explaining her condition to CBS New York.
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The disease is not entirely understood in the scientific community and is considered quite rare.
“The precise mechanism leading to a child developing acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) has not yet been confirmed but it is clear there is a link with viral infections,” a report by the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children stated.
When doctors in the US tested the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, they found virus cells, even if a child had recovered from the original viral infection.
It continued: “It is clear that the grey matter within the spinal cord is damaged in AFM. This particularly affects the area containing motor neurons which are needed for movement.”
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Aliyah’s family have said she remains resilient despite her condition and it has been saddening to see her not be able to go to school due to the thief’s actions.
CCTV footage outside the home showed a man driving in a maroon van stop outside the home and walked up to the empty wheelchair that had been placed outside a few minutes before her school bus came to pick her up.
The man then loaded up the wheelchair into his van, took her backpack that had her laptop and school equipment inside and drove off.
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“It mostly just hurts me in the heart because he saw the backpack, he looked in the backpack and saw that it was school supplies,” Aliyah said.
“Obviously he knew it was a little girl’s wheelchair.”
She continued: “I feel like a survivor, I really just push through it and was able to where I am today.”
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A family friend set up the GoFundMe hoping that the community can support the family in replacing the stolen equipment as these wheelchairs can cost a couple of thousand dollars.
The Ossining Police Department has seen the CCTV footage and is investigating the theft.
Gerrard Kaonga