Family Demands Answers After Wheelchair Ramps For Son With Cerebral Palsy Stolen From South Philadelphia Home
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A South Philadelphia family is rightfully outraged after they say someone stole wheelchair ramps their 15-year-old son with Cerebral Palsy needs to get out of his house. Tina and Joe Dolan say the ramps used by their son Domenic were in place at their Greenwich Street home for the past five years.
At least that was the cause until Thursday afternoon when they say someone took the ramps, now making it much harder for Domenic to leave his home.
Furious, and with Domenic now confined to the top step, the Dolan family are demanding answers about the theft that happened sometime on Thursday.
"It's very important because that's our only means of getting Domenic in and out of the house. Without the ramp, we can't get him out," Tina said. "It's important for my son to get him on the school bus, to get him outside to play, go to the park, anything."
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"We haven't been out, this is it, to the top step," she added. "That's all we do. Long ago I was able to put him on my back, I can't do it no more. Devastated, shocked. Who would do something like that? You knew somebody who was disabled had to use it, it's not just a ramp for somebody to play with."
They have since filed a police report, but have a theory as to why someone would steal the ramps, knowing the ramps would be of little practical use to anyone.
The Dolans suspect the thief took the ramps to scrap the aluminum money for extra money.
Even with the tremendous setback, Tina says Domenic doesn't let things like this get him down.
"Even when he's upset, he never complains," she said. "He's my angel, this is my hero over here."
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to replace the stolen ramps. You can donate by going to https://www.gofundme.com/f/stolen-wheelchair-ramps.
CBS3's Chantee Lans contributed to this report.
