Thief steals walker belonging to 5-year-old Cypress boy with cerebral palsy

CYPRESS, Calif. (KABC) -- A 5-year-old Cypress boy who has cerebral palsy has been left without his custom-built walker after it was stolen from his family's vehicle overnight Friday.

Melissa Montemorra said her son, Donovan Montemorra, received the walker in June and used it for mobility at school and at play. He had planned to use the device, which cost $3,500 and took six months to acquire, to play baseball on a special-needs team.

"He uses it for everything," Melissa Montemorra said. "Without it he cannot walk independently. This is his freedom, this is his way of being like all the rest of the us."

His parents on Friday evening placed the walker in their truck, which was parked outside their home in the 8700 block of Belmont Street, then awoke Saturday morning to find that the device had been stolen.

The family released photos of the walker in hopes that it will be returned.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the Cypress Police Department at (714) 229-6600.