What to Know
- Ji-Eun Kim says her motorized wheelchair was stolen from outside her pastor's home in Brooklyn on Saturday
- She had to use a non-motorized wheelchair and have someone else push her around for the last 48 hours
- A neighbor and former-police officer found the wheelchair dumped several blocks from her apartment, restoring her independence
Ji-Eun Kim says her freedom was taken away when someone stole her wheelchair from outside her pastor's home in Brooklyn Saturday night.
The $8,000 motorized chair was Kim's independence because she has Cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that limits her mobility. She reported to police that someone took it from the home near Bragg Street and Avenue U in Sheepshead Bay.
"I can't leave the house without it. It's my independence. I don't need anybody to push. It's my freedom," Kim said, asking for the person who took her wheelchair to just return it.
It could take 2 months for Kim to receive a new chair through medicare and the money to replace it would be a huge financial burden to her, the Brooklyn woman tells News 4.
She currently has to use a non-motorized wheelchair and has someone else push her around.
