Boy with cerebral palsy gets new wheelchair

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Arthur Day's smile said it all as the sweet 9-year-old boy got a life-changing early Christmas surprise, thanks to some generous Eyewitness News viewers.

Day, who has cerebral palsy, has been suffering ever since a thief stole his specialized wheelchair earlier this month. But Tuesday, he was rolling once again, thanks to the kindness of the crew at Access Medical Inc. in Anaheim.

"For you to donate these chairs, to do this for him before the holiday, I have, hands down, never had a better Christmas," said Day's father, Kmond.

Normally it would take three months and $9,000 to manufacture the fully customized chair. But access medical worked around the clock, putting together the state-of-the-art ride in just three weeks.

"We had a lot of support from the manufacturers, when they heard Arthur's story, they also were willing to jump in. So they rushed the orders, and then our techs at Access Medical and our clinician moved that forward," said Blaine Hunt with Access Medical.

The gift of giving continued with a special stroller from Convaid Products, giving Day and his family some freedom.

"They can't go anywhere without these wheelchairs. His dad has pick him up and carry him everywhere he goes, unless he has the proper mobility product," Rebecca Hombs with Convaid.

The search continues for the suspect who stole Day's wheelchair from the lobby of the family's South Los Angeles apartment. Since there is no elevator in the building, that's where it will have to stay once again, but this time it will be locked tight.

A GoFundMe has been setup up to help Arthur. You can donate here: http://www.gofundme.com/j9in00