JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A night of Halloween fun ends in disappointment and heartache for an Avondale family after a wheelchair stroller designed specifically for the family's special needs daughter was stolen.
Clara Rasch,10, suffers from a seizure disorder and her family relies on the stroller to help her get around. Clara's mom told News4Jax the family had come home from a Halloween party, when they parked it in front of the house. A miscommunication resulted in the stroller being left outside for about an hour.
"It enables us to be as much like a typical family as we can be. Going places, doing things with her so that she's comfortable and we know she's
safe," said Beth Rasch, mother.
The feeling of security is now compromised after the stroller was stolen right in front of the family home Halloween night. It happened after family members returned home from a party. Rasch says she took the kids inside.
"I came down to get my daughter Clara's medicine and her feed. She feeds overnight. That was when I saw that it wasn't outside. I just assumed that my husband had put it in the car," said Rasch.
The family searched the neighborhood for hours, but nothing turned up. The family is heartbroken.
"I just feel disappointed. We live in a very close neighborhood where people are very good about taking care of each other. I just, I have to feel like, to have faith in people that this was just an accident," said Rasch.
Accident or not, Rasch says her daughter's life won't be the same if it's not returned. Her hope is that someone who knows where it is will do the right thing and give them the peace of mind they're waiting for.
"If anyone sees it or has any information that even they think might help us find it even if they're not sure, that would be wonderful. The wait time for getting another of these will literally be a year and a half," said Rasch.
Police are involved in the search, and they are also asking the public's help in finding this wheelchair stroller. If you know something, you're asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500.