Thieves have stolen a disabled 5-year-old girl’s wheelchair from outside her home in Apple Valley.
Ileeya Tavera’s beloved pink custom chair was taken from the family’s unlocked truck, which was parked at the side of their house on the 20200 block of Serrano Road.
Her mother Eileen Tavaera said she would have been using the chair extensively in the coming months due to a forthcoming operation on her hips, as her bones have not grown as doctors had hoped.
"So we'll be facing another major correction surgery where iIeeya will need to be in her wheelchair for three to four months depending on recovery because she won’t be able to walk," Tavaera said.
Ileeya suffers from proximal femoral focal deficiency, a rare birth defect that affects the pelvis, particularly the hip bone, which causes the hip to be deformed and the leg shortened. Before receiving medical attention her left femur was 52 percent shorter than her right one and she was missing her fibula.
She got the chair when she was just 2-year’s old, and while she has made progress and can now walk around with the aid of a prosthetic leg, she uses the chair for longer distance trips. As well as its distinctive pink color, the wheelchair’s front wheels also light up when they roll forward.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed it is investigating the theft.
