PEABODY, MASS. (WHDH) - A Peabody woman is thanking community members and police after the quick recovery of her 5-year-old son’s wheelchair when it was taken from her yard Monday.
Stephanie DeGennaro adopted her 5-year-old son Gabriel after caring for him as a nurse at Franciscan Children’s Hospital. Gabriel has cerebral palsy and relies on a custom wheelchair to get around.
But after the DeGennaros put the wheelchair outside while getting Gabriel ready for school Monday, they came back 15 minutes later to find it gone.
“It’s worth monetarily, thousands and thousands of dollars but to us, it’s worth so much more,” DeGennaro said.
DeGennaro posted on Facebook asking for help and called police. and Lt. Bill Cook quickly checked out a scrap metal collector he knew of.
“I drove down and checked out the scrap metal truck and sure enough, the back of the scrap metal truck has a wheelchair with an oxygen tank hanging off it,” Cook said.
Cook said he hasn’t been able to speak with the truck’s owner or anyone at the house where it was parked and was unsure if police would file charges. DeGennaro said she hoped the wheelchair was taken through a misunderstanding and said she wanted to thank everyone who helped, including people who offered to replace the chair before it was found.
“I think a lot of people are ready and willing to help,” DeGennaro said.
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