Fury after cancer stricken kid leaves house for first time after lengthy battle…and cruel yobs nick his chair on day out
Callous crooks stole the chair from outside the family's driveway after they returned from first outing since hospital
THIEVING yobs stole a wheelchair from a ten-year-old boy recovering from cancer – as he returned from his first family day out since leaving the hospital.
Cameron Austin, who has leukaemia, was being helped into the house by his mum when the scumbags stole the chair from outside their home in Sutton, Surrey.
Mum, Elaine Austin, 46, said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous – who steals a child’s wheelchair?
“This is the first full day we had had since he got out of hospital. It is just such a shame this had to happen.”
Cameron initially feared that the theft would mean he could not leave the house for a long time.
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“Cameron’s main concern was that he wouldn’t be able to get out of the house anymore, and he was quiet worried about it.
“But luckily my daughter’s friend’s mum had one in her garage. It’s a bit dusty but we will give it a clean and get Cameron out of the house in it,” she added.
The wheelchair was stolen from the Austin’s driveway between 9.35pm and midnight on Sunday.
But Elaine refuses to bear a grudge against the perpetrators, describing the theft as little more than an inconvenience in comparison to Cameron’s cancer battle.
She said: “Who in their right mind would feel the need to steal a wheelchair? It’s just bizarre. But maybe they were worse off than us and needed it more than we do.
“They obviously weren’t aware of the impact it would have on us, both for Cameron and for me financially.”
The family will have to fork out £240 for the stolen one they were renting from a specialist company in Wandsworth.
Cameron, a pupil at Cheam Fields Primary School, fell ill again last September after first battling with leukaemia aged two.
In March, Elaine and husband Joe launched an appeal for funds to help them finish renovating their home so their son could return from hospital.
Doctors had told them Cameron could only be discharged if the house was “dust-free” and “spotlessly clean”.
Surrey police are investigating.