MODESTO, Calif — A Modesto family is hoping the community can help after they said their daughter's wheelchair was stolen.
17-year-old Mykayla Herrera said her custom power wheelchair was in front of her family's home Sunday night, but it was gone on Monday morning.
"All my independent-ness is gone. It was taken from me," she said.
The family is hoping someone in the community might see it and return it to them in time for Mykayla to finish her senior year at Modesto High School.
Mykayla has osteogenesis imperfecta, a medical condition that makes her bones brittle, and she does not walk. She said the wheelchair is her only way to get around on her own.
"That's what I rely on for my source of mobility," said Mykayla. "Just like a car, just like someone's legs taken from them, like if someone didn't have legs, how would they move? That's basically how it is for me."
The wheelchair is black and gray with silver glitter sides and has Mykayla's name embroidered on the chair in white.
Erica Herrera, Mykayla's mother, said the family searched for the chair around their neighborhood.
"We went down to the end of the street, looked down the trail. There was a hole cut in the fence. We saw tire marks, we followed. My husband went down to 9th Street... We found part of her wheelchair which was the joystick," she said.
The family filed a report with Modesto Police, but they're hoping the wheelchair will be found and returned to them.
"It has an elevator chair, so it goes up. It has a recliner that goes back," said Erica. "Just please help us find this chair. She needs her mobility."
Right now, Mykayla is on independent study from school without her chair to get around. She's hoping to attend the last few months of her senior year with her friends at school.
"If someone could find it, that would be great. I could get it back and be back with my life," she said.
Erica told ABC10 she contacted their insurance to get a replacement chair in the meantime. They said it will take around six months to get a new customized chair.
The family is raising money to buy Mykayla a new wheelchair. If you'd like to help, you can visit their GoFundMe page here.
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