APPLE VALLEY — While the Tavera family awaits a hoped-for return of their daughter's "super cool" wheelchair, they wish to express their gratitude for an outpouring of community support.
The non-motorized chair, which was custom built, was reported stolen Monday
.
"I'm so appreciative and feel blessed that all the community wants to help my daughter," Eileen Tavera said Thursday, following social media attention and news coverage.
Tavera's 5-year-old daughter, Ileeya, needs use of the wheelchair occasionally to get around because of a condition known as PFFD, her mother said. Proximal focal femural deficiency is a rare condition in which the hip and upper leg development vary, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
The wheelchair was taken from the family's SUV, which was parked outside their apartment near Highway 18 and Rancherias Road. Family members are waiting until about Tuesday to accept help — that's when they hope to hear whether their insurance company will cover the loss, Tavera said. Or they will see if it is returned.
The distinctive chair with a pink frame and big, black wheels that light up in red, green and blue is hard to miss.
"It's super cool, perfect for a kid," Tavera said.
Information about the theft or location of Ileeya's wheelchair can be reported to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Apple Valley Station at 760-240-7400 or 760-240-7428