A Canton mother's plea was met with a mixture of despair and community support after her son's specialized wheelchair, valued at $4,000, was stolen from their front porch. Nine-year-old Ayden Mayle, who uses the wheelchair due to his condition, spina bifida, found his mobility device missing earlier this week. With the family's health benefits allowing for a new chair only every five years, they faced a challenging situation as Ayden's next eligible wheelchair wouldn't be covered until next year, iHeart Canton reported.
In an unexpected turn of events, Ayden's wheelchair was mysteriously returned to the porch with a trash bag over it, although some parts, including the armrests, the harness, and a seat belt, were missing. His mother, Paulette Taylor, while expressing relief and gratitude for its return, also acknowledged the community's generosity, as a GoFundMe page had raised over $4,430 to assist with the purchase of a new wheelchair. Despite being thankful for the outpouring of support, Taylor mentioned, "We are missing a few things off of it but thank you ALL for the overwhelming support," according to cantonrep.com.
As a testament to the goodwill of the Canton community, the GoFundMe donations will now be used to repair and upgrade the damaged wheelchair, including installing a tracking device. Taylor recently expressed her appreciation, "The kindness is just unbelievable. Ayden and I are so thankful. May you all be so blessed for your thoughtfulness and generosity," she told cantonrep.com in an email.
A 9-year-old boy's wheelchair was stolen from his southwest Canton. His family wants it back. https://t.co/nPzkXgmq1i
— CantonRep.com (@CantonRepdotcom) September 10, 2024
Despite this silver lining, the theft's audacity has cast a shadow over the incident. "First of all, why would you take a wheelchair? Obviously, they have it because they need it. It was very disheartening," Taylor said via News 5 Cleveland, disturbed by the crime and its impact on her son, who also recently suffered a knee injury hindering his walking capacity. The Canton community, rallying together in the face of this adversity, provided financial help and a loaner wheelchair in the interim, highlighted by a personal thank-you from Ayden himself in a short video. Paulette Taylor remarked on the return of the wheelchair, "You can't just go around stealing things. I'm grateful that it is returned. However, you can't just go around stealing people's things," in a statement given while she was still reeling from the theft and grappling with the idea of restitution, as described by News 5 Cleveland.
