Thieves Steal Spokane Woman’s Wheelchair

It was a different kind of Black Friday for Chris Smith, who woke up to find that someone had stolen her wheelchair.

“Yeah, it’s like black Black Friday for me,” Smith said.

Friday morning she woke up to go shopping, and because she can’t walk, crawled down her front porch stairs on the 1200 block of West Kiernan.

“And I went to get my wheelchair and wait for my disability van and there was no wheelchair there,” Smith said.

Smith says the stolen wheelchair belonged to her husband before he passed away last year. It was heavy duty and weighed more than 40 pounds. It was also the only way she got around outside of the house.

With severe back and leg pain, Smith says it’s nearly impossible to walk. Friday, her emotional pain is almost too much to bear as well.

“My daughter got me coffee, then more coffee, then coffee again to keep mama from crying,” Smith said with tears in her eyes.

Smith says she’s a giving person and used to volunteer at the House of Charity.

“There are people out there who take and take and take,” Smith said. “And then there are people who give and give. That’s me.”

Smith says she’s happy the River Park Square Mall gave her a wheelchair to use for the day. Now, she’s hoping the thieves who took her wheelchair will give it back, so she’ll have one from now on.

“Or maybe somebody has a chair they don’t want or is in their attic or their basement so I can have one back,” Smith said.

Smith is asking if anyone saw anything to call police. If you would like to help Chris, you can e-mail me at ianc@old.kxly.com