'We just want it back,' London mom tells thief who stole disabled son's buggy

A London mother is asking the public for help tracking down a stolen adult-sized stroller, which she says is her disabled son's only means of transportation. 

Meda Riley is the mother of 20-year-old Jordan, who has cognitive and physical disabilities and relies on a buggy to get around because he is unable to walk. 

"It's the only way we can get him out of the house and get some fresh air and this morning we noticed it was gone," she told CBC News Tuesday. 

"Right now it's the only way he can get outside or go anywhere. We can't go for walks, we can't go anywhere."

'We just want it back'

She had just replaced the wheels on the blue and black Axiom special needs stroller and she forgot to lock it up after she placed it in its usual spot and, by morning, it was gone. It was stolen from the White Oaks area, on Ashley Crescent.

Within moments she jumped online and posted the incident to social media and already hundreds of people have responded. 

Riley said she and Jordan are homebound until whoever took the stroller returns it. Replacing it would cost $3,000 and she has been waiting for a special customized wheelchair for her son for over a year. 

All she wants is for whoever took it, to put it back where they found it. 

"If someone has it, bring it back at night time. No questions asked."

Riley, who is an avid runner, said the adult-sized jogging stroller is important to both her and Jordan because it's one of the ways the two enjoy spending time together. 

"When Jordan was born, they said he would never walk. So, I said if he walked I would run a marathon pushing him and a number of years ago he took 17 steps in a walker in physio therapy and we started running together. He loves it."

"He had two strokes in 2017 and he lost all mobility on the right side of his body so he can't even walk in his walker anymore, but we still run."

Riley said since the pandemic erupted in March, the jogging stroller has become even more important to her son, who is immunocompromised and has been stranded at home for the last seven months. 

"I don't even take him to the supermarket or anything, so getting outside for fresh air is kind of it," she said.

"He can't return to school because of the pandemic. We are making as best we do as everybody is but getting out and about and getting fresh air is important." 

"We just want it back."