New mom pleads for return of life-saving formula stolen off porch in Bridgewater
BRIDGEWATER - Chicken, fish, and dairy – those are just some of the foods that Alyssa Augusto of Bridgewater can't eat.
She lives with a rare metabolic disease called Phenylketonuria, or "PKU," which severely limits the body's ability to metabolize protein.
Instead of the typical sources, Augusto relies on special formula – valued at $4,000 if she didn't have health insurance to cover it. Without the formula, she risks the possibility of brain damage.
That's why having a "porch pirate" steal her packages Sunday was a potentially life-threatening event.
"I saw someone come up, leave a box, and take my two formula boxes," Augusto said when she checked her security camera early Sunday morning after hearing it ring.
When she went to the front porch of her Mount Vernon Street home to check, all she found was an empty box – one the man had left to replace the two he apparently stole.
"He came up with a box like he's a delivery person so if anyone was to drive by or if we were to get up, he would just drop the box and walk away… so he definitely knew what he was doing," Augusto said.
What the man likely didn't know: what was in the box, and just how valuable it was to the family inside the home.
"Most of my nutrition comes from that formula," Augusto explained. She's a new mother, who breastfeeds her 6-week-old daughter. "If I didn't have any [backup], he took my nourishment, but also, I'm trying to feed my daughter. And how would I be able to do that if I can't keep up with myself?"
Fortunately, not only did Augusto have a newly installed security camera that caught the man on video, but she had a backup supply of formula, too. "My parents always taught me when I was younger, like 'make sure you always have a backup for a rainy day.' So apparently this is my rainy day," she explained.
She might not have been so lucky if her packages had been stolen a few months back. "When I was pregnant and there was a formula shortage, it would be a different story," she said.
Now, both Augusto and Bridgewater Police are asking for the public's help to identify the man in the security footage. All Augusto wants to know is "Why? Just like why [is he] doing this?"
Bridgewater Police can be reached at (508) 697-0914.