Jan 15, 2008 By Josh Krysak 2 min read

A Uniontown mother is struggling to understand a theft Monday morning that left her 8-year-old son coping without his wheelchair.

“It made me cry when I saw it was gone,” Traci Kiss said. “I don’t know why someone would take it. For someone to be so rude … it was made specially for him.” Uniontown police Officer David J. Rutter said he was called to the Kiss residence on Murray Avenue early Monday for a reported theft.

What he discovered left the 11-year veteran of the police force shaking his head.

“Apparently they left the garage unlocked where they kept his wheelchair, and overnight someone stole it. Nothing else was taken, just the wheelchair,” Rutter said.

Kiss said her son, Isaiah Kiss, who attends Menallen School in the Uniontown Area School District, suffers from spina bifida, a birth defect that affects the spinal cord and affects growth and development.

Kiss said her son only has the use of one hand and said that the wheelchair was constructed last year to meet his specific needs; with levers and buttons accessible for manipulation by his right thumb.

“That wheelchair cost thousands of dollars,” Kiss said. “I have four kids and the insurance isn’t going to cover another one now. I can’t afford to get it for him. It is heartbreaking.”

Rutter said Kiss discovered the wheelchair was stolen Monday morning when she went to the garage to get it so that Isaiah could use the lift to get onto the school van.

Kiss said her son had to use his old wheelchair to attend school Monday, noting that Isaiah has outgrown the chair.

“That chair was his only way to get around,” Kiss said. “I don’t know if it was just a prank or it was a junkie or what, but it is a shame. He just doesn’t fit in his old chair. His legs are too long.”

Rutter said anyone with information regarding the theft is asked to call police at 724-430-2929.