A 9-year-old girl with cerebral palsy got her wheelchair back Friday, days after her family's van was stolen with the chair inside.
A construction worker spotted the chair near Covington, not far from where the Clements family attends church, Batoya Clements told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"It was not messed up at all," said Clements, whose daughter Aysia uses the chair. "It was in the same condition as before."
The Gwinnett County family's van was stolen several days ago while the family attended church in Decatur. The van was found quickly, but not the chair. Aysia, who can't walk or talk, relied on the chair to get to school, her parents said.
The family called police and had to get a ride home from the church, Clements said. James Clements, the father of Aysia and three others, said he rented a car the following day to file a report with DeKalb County police.
“When they found the vehicle, they impounded it and slapped me with a $140 fee," he said.
When the wheelchair was found and returned, the Clements were able to surprise Aysia, who had been forced to use a borrowed chair, at her school Friday.
The family has received dozens of offers to help since Channel 2 Action News, a reporting partner of the AJC, reported that someone had stolen the van and wheelchair, James Clements told the AJC on Friday. One stranger even offered to replace the $10,000 wheelchair.
The family doesn't need another wheelchair but hopes those that offered wheelchairs will now donate those to charities, such as Friends of the Disabled. The Clements said the charity has a waiting list for people in need of wheelchairs.
Aysia will require hip surgery Oct. 24 and will then spend about seven weeks in a full body cast, James Clements said. But the little girl keeps her smile through it all.
"She definitely keeps us grounded," Clements said. "She has so much courage."
For anyone wishing to donate, the family can be reached via email at jclem21@gmail.com. An account has also been set up in Aysia Clements' name at BestBank.
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