GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.,None — The parents of a severely disabled 9-year-old girl are thankful for the return of the girl's wheelchair, just days after it was stolen.
A thief stole James and Batoya Clements van at a Decatur church last week with their daughter's specially equipped wheelchair inside. Aysia Clements was born with cerebral palsy and can't walk or talk. The nearly $10,000 wheelchair was specially fitted for Aysia.
DeKalb County police recovered the van, but it was a viewer who saw the story on Channel 2 Action News who spotted the purple wheelchair on the side of a road.
“Apparently someone did just what we asked. They put it somewhere visible so that it could be picked up by somebody who saw the telecast,” James Clements told Channel 2's Diana Davis who first reported the story on Thursday.
Aysia's joy was unbridled as her parents sat her in her chair, Davis reported. Her parents said their faith was never lost and now is strengthened.
“It’s just good to see the human spirit prevail again because we believe in that and that’s what faith is all about,” James Clements said.
Without the chair, Aysia was cut off from the world.
“That chair was part of normalcy for her and when somebody took that chair away from her they took a part of me as well. To see my daughter get her feet back, that was heartfelt," Batoya Clements told Davis.
“We were just so excited. It was a moment when we said, Can this be real?” said James Clements.
The Clements said they have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support they've received in the 24 hours since the report. Offers came to replace the chair and to donate money for a new one. The family said the most touching offer came from a 12-year-old girl named Ellie who offered to donate money she’d saved in her piggy bank.
Serious financial hardships for the family remain. They don’t have the money for the thousands of dollars it will take to repair the stolen van.
"The radio was gone. The steering column is basically pulled out, and it was just trashed. The van will cost about $5,000 to fix and it really wasn't even worth that much," James Clements told Davis.
“I believe if you help someone else it will come around and someone will help you in your time of need,” Batoya Clements said.
If you want to help the Clements family, you can email them at jclem21@gmail.com.
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