Boy With Cerebral Palsy Gets Special Gift From LAPD After Thieves Steal His Leg Braces
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The LAPD presented a special gift to a disabled boy on Wednesday after thieves had made off with his leg braces.
The LAPD Newton division raised money over GoFundMe after 10-year-old Geovanni Ramirez, who suffers from cerebral palsy, lost his leg-braces to thieves.
The thieves stole the braces right out of his mother's car.
"Who better to serve than the most vulnerable in our society," LAPD's Michael Ventura asked. "That's why we went above and beyond."
The department was able to raise more than $13,000 for Geovanni's family, and presented his mother with a check on Wednesday.
Geovanni's mother says that, without the help of the LAPD, her family would never have been able to afford replacing her son's braces. The family says they plan to use the extra money to modify their home, making it more wheelchair accessible.
The department also worked to connect Geovanni with some of LA County's top orthopedic surgeons, and treated the youngster, who is an avid Dodgers fan, to his first game at Dodger Stadium.
These efforts, the department says, have meant just as much to the officers involved as they did to Geovanni and his family.
"I enjoy every day of my job, and being a police officer for the LAPD, but it's the times like this that make it heart-warming that's worth more than a million dollars," Ventura said. "You can't put a price on how it makes you feel."