A fire destroyed a van a Whangarei family depended on to transport an eight-year-old special needs girl. PHOTO/Supplied
A fire destroyed a van a Whangarei family depended on to transport an eight-year-old special needs girl. PHOTO/Supplied
The theft and torching of a van specially adapted to transport an 8-year-old girl with special needs has been a "kick in the guts" for a Whangarei family.
Mother of two Chloe Graham is questioning why anyone would want to steal the adapted van, which was parked on the driveway of her home in Kensington.
"Why did you take my baby's waka? To some people it's just a van, but for us it's not just a van ... it's how we do everything," Ms Graham said.
"I'm not rich. I work hard and this theft is just mindless. It's a kick in the guts for us."
Yesterday her insurance company confirmed they would pay out $6500 for the van, she had insured for $20,000 with the modifications.
Septo-optic dysplasia is a rare congenital malformation syndrome featuring underdevelopment of the optic nerve, pituitary gland dysfunction and absence of a midline part of the brain.
Twenty-eight-year-old Ms Graham said Stella had grown and become too heavy for her to lift into a car, so a year ago her father took out a loan to buy a van for them.
Modifications were made to the white 2002 Nissan Elgrand van to allow Stella to be wheeled into the rear of the van on to a tray that was then lifted into the van.
It meant trips to watch netball, attend the Whangarei farmers market or to visit whanau in Matauri Bay were easy and not a transport nightmare.
However, on May 13 the van was stolen.
Ms Graham was out with her netball team, on a rare night she could find a babysitter for Stella and her 2-year-old sister.
Thieves broke into Ms Graham's home and went through everything, taking electronic items and the van keys. They took tools from the shed and then left.
It was only when police rang at 2am she was alerted to the theft. Police had been called to the intersection of Whareora and Tahere roads to a van on fire.
A fire destroyed a van a Whangarei family depended on to transport an eight-year-old special needs girl. PHOTO/Supplied
It was Ms Graham's white van. Firefighters arrived but there was little they could do. The van was a charred frame.
"That van has made such a huge difference to our lives and we've got used to having it. This has had a huge impact on us. With out the van we are marooned at home," Miss Graham said.
