Boys customized wheelchair taken from in front of home

ROSLINDALE, Mass. -- The family of an 8-year-old boy whose wheelchair vanished from the front of their home is hoping the person who took it will bring it back.

The family said that wheelchair is a lifeline for their son Mohammed who suffers from a crippling disorder that he developed when he was just three years old.

Every morning Mohammed’s father Yasir Elawad takes the wheelchair from their van, puts it on the sidewalk, and then carries his son down the steep set of stairs in front of their Roslindale home.

Elawad said he cannot imagine someone stealing it and thinks it might have been mistaken for garbage.

“And it’s not a regular wheelchair; you can tell it’s a disabled child’s wheelchair. And I’m just wondering if you tried to steal it, it just keeps me wondering. How do you steal a wheelchair? What kind of heart do you have? It’s not a regular chair. What are you going to do with it? How much money are you going to get out of that?” Elawad said.

Mohammed cannot leave his home without the wheelchair. He has already missed two days of school. It is custom-made and costs about $4,000.

Elawad said that if someone returns the wheelchair there will be no hard feelings.

The family has recently been contacted by the mayor who said he is working on getting Mohammed a replacement wheelchair.

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