Community Chat

[new nickname 4]

Meet 5-year-old Mikey Stipeck. He loves mickey mouse and his favorite baby Yoda toy. But his life has been anything but easy.

“Mikey did suffer a brain injury when he was very young. He was physically abused by his biological mother between the ages of 2 weeks old and 6 weeks old,” stated Collen Stipeck, Mikey’s mother.

Now he has trouble walking, something he works on with his mom every day.

“He’s amazing. Doing things we never thought he’d be able to do, stunning the doctors every step of the way. He’s starting kindergarten which is going to be another struggle because we don’t have a wheelchair to help him get on the bus and to transport in school,” explained Stipeck.

They don’t have his nearly $5,000 custom pediatric wheelchair, because it was stolen right from their front yard Wednesday.

Mikey had a blast Tuesday evening ending his trip to his brother’s blazing hot day football practice with a shower from the Polk Township Volunteer Fire Company.

So Colleen put his wheelchair right outside her front door to let it dry and hasn’t seen it since.

“It’s his main mode of transportation to get around. He can walk, but he can only walk short distances with his walker. Unfortunately, that’s something that has been declining over the summer. So to not have his wheelchair is almost like taking away his legs,” Stipeck said.

So for now he will use this little red wagon to get around, as his family reaches out to the community and state police for answers.

Edited to add:  a goood samaritan has just donated her sons old wheelchair which he outgrew.  His mom says even though the wheelchair isn't the specialized chair Mikey needs, it will do just fine.

[spumoni99]

I can't believe some of the responses here, I am speechless!

[northiie57]

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@proudlyfromNJ wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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@RetRN wrote:

There are idiots out there who will take anything they can sell. They figure it is easier than working. Sad but true. And some people are simply evil.

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@RetRN They are thieves.  They are evil.  And it is easier than working now, and self respect apparently is no longer an issue.  Nor is jail.

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@Sooner  These thieves have no self respect. This is how they have always been. Doubt they ever worked. It’s just more out in the open now.

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An addict's brain does not think and all morals are out the window, most of these thieves are addicts and it is just one hardship turned into another.  The world is an ugly place now and most are mentally ill. And yes most have worked you need to look at the whole picture.  Not saying it's ok.....makes me sad to hear this when there is so many options .....wonder why mom left in the front yard not the backyard for a few hours? jmo and it is ....be kind and don't bash me

[icezeus]

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@lovescats wrote:

maybe the mother needed money and had someone take it because she knows people will believe her.   I don't know why she didn't just dry it off.    I think a lot of times stories like this are odd.    maybe she was going to punish the daughter by taking it away from her for a while.

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@lovescats 

OMG, WOW, JUST WOW!

[Trailrun23]

There is a special place in you-know-where for someone who would steal a child's wheelchair. Disgusting. What the heck are they going to do with it? Sell it? Where? 

[Trailrun23]

It probably needed more than a towel to dry the fabric on the chair...putting it out in the back yard or balcony, etc would be better than the front yard. This is when you need a security camera on the front door.