A man diagnosed with bone cancer as a teenager had his prosthetic leg, valued at $8,000, stolen from the trunk of his car in Portland earlier this month.
According to Oregon Crime Stoppers, NBC News and affiliate station KGW 8, Atticus Root was out to dinner with some friends in downtown Portland on Dec. 8 when he decided to trade in his usual prosthetic left leg for a spare, placing his customized trunk of his car, along with some tools for his welding work.
When he returned from dinner, his tools were gone — along with his prosthetic leg, which he had been using since he was 14, when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that occurs in children and young adults, according to NBC. The cancer was in his left femur and he was forced to have his entire leg amputated, resulting in him relearning to walk, work and live with his custom-made prosthesis.
Root’s uncle, Joshua Veldstra, described the theft to NBC on Dec. 20 as “a ‘he just can’t catch a break’ situation.”
A prosthetic leg similar to Root’s.
Oregon Crime Stoppers
“He seems to have a pretty good attitude, or at least he’s trying to keep a good attitude about what happened. But it’s a terrible thing.” Veldstra added on NBC. “I mean, who steals a prosthetic leg?”
According to Root’s uncle, Oregon Crime Stoppers values the leg at about $8,000, although the organization states that “its true value cannot be measured in dollars because it is a great help to a 20-year-old Portland man who lost his leg to bone cancer.”
Vestra told the business paper that it helped his nephew learn to exercise again, and it was more comfortable than any other prosthesis he had ever used. It also had a bendable knee and a running blade.
“It was custom made to fit his body,” he said, noting that his spare was not as comfortable. – It was made just for him.
“It’s also very important for his work, because he didn’t have to use crutches and could use both hands,” added his uncle. – But now it’s getting harder again.
Root’s mother, Irene Veldstra, reached out to her local and online community for help after the theft, starting a GoFundMe page to raise the $8,000 needed to buy a new leg.
“Then it’s been a rough month, this, I’m fully aware that life is shit, but Atticus is just starting to feel better and get back on his ‘feet’, he doesn’t deserve this,” she wrote on the fundraising page, noting that the future if it is made to order, the prosthesis does not have a serial number.
12-year-old arrested after driving grandpa’s stolen car 100 miles over Wash. mountains.
“… [Prosthetics] all made to order by the patient, plus a prosthetist who understands all the science of the body and building the leg. Things I’ve learned – legs are complicated,” she added.
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As of Saturday, December 21, the fundraiser is closed and has collected nearly $12,000 in donations.
“The family is very relieved and very grateful to everyone who donated,” Veldstra told NBC in a text message, adding that it could still be several months before the new leg is built.
An official with the Portland Police Bureau told PEOPLE in a statement that the case is still under investigation, and waste management agencies are looking into the possibility that the leg was thrown into the trash.
Oregon Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,500 reward to anyone who shares information or an anonymous tip that leads to the recovery of the prosthesis.
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Source: HIS Education