Mom beside herself after special needs teen's wheelchair, car seat stolen
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. (CBS) -- A single mother was desperate Monday night after thieves stole from a child with special needs.
Aidan Beltran, 15, of Blue Island, needs a specialized wheelchair to get to doctor's appointments. It is worth thousands of dollars – and now it's gone.
And that's not all. CBS 2's Jermont Terry spoke with Aidan's mom and what else was taken in the heartless crime.
Caring for Aidan requires his mother's undivided attention.
"He's 24/7. He's in diapers. He can't dress himself," said Alicia Rodriguez.
For 15 years, Rodriguez has provided that care. Aidan has already undergone 30 surgeries in his lifetime.
"He has cerebral palsy, Noonan syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome, inversion of chromosome 19, and he also has autism," Rodriguez said.
And the specialized wheelchair was key in getting Aidan around.
"It hurts me, because it's for him to get in and out of the doctor's," Rodriguez said. "He's also in the hospital in and out."
The broken pieces of glass on the front lawn are proof of what was stolen. A look at home surveillance shows someone driving off in the middle of the night in the family's stolen Hyundai Elantra.
While losing the car is hard, thieves also ripped off Aidan's car seat with it.
"That was my transportation for him," Rodriguez said. "The car seat is like $19,000. The wheelchair is almost close to $30,000 – it's a special made for him."
Rodriguez parked her car between two handicap signs outside their house. She is convinced whoever stole the car knew the specialized wheelchair and car seat inside was needed – but did not care.
"It's difficult. It's hard," Rodriguez said. "I'm a single parent. I have no help."
And since she provides round-the-clock care for her son, she is unable to work – so buying a new car isn't easy.
"No car place is going to give me car if I'm not working," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez has set up a GoFundMe to help not only buy a car, but more importantly, help replace the precious items that Aidan needs to be mobile.
"Any donations will help," Rodriguez said.
But until then, this mother will keep caring for Aidan – hoping whoever stole the car will at least have a heart and return the wheelchair and car seat.
"I hope you can live with yourself," Rodriguez said.
