May 14, 2008 6:46 pm US/Central
Lakeview Woman Doesn't Let Van Theft Dampen Spirit
Specially Designed Van Allowed Woman With Amputated Leg To Be Independent
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Lakeview resident Wensdae Williams say she's not going to let the theft of her specially outfitted van get to her. Instead, she's doing what she can to see that it's returned.
CBS
A Lakeview woman lives her life in a wheelchair but is truly independent.
That independence was stolen when someone took her specially designed van, but as CBS 2's Derrick Blakley found out, it didn't take her spirit.
Sitting curbside near her handicap parking space, Wensdae Williams maintains a daily vigil hoping the cruel thief who stole her van musters the decency to return it.
"I'm not asking him to turn himself in or anything like that," Williams said. "I just want my vehicle so I can get on with my life. That's all I want."
The signs she made and posted near her parking spot tell the story: "My van was my lifeline," says one. Another simply asks: "Why?"
Williams discovered the theft Friday morning as she left her Lakeview apartment and says the thief must have known his target was disabled.
"There's handicapped parking plates. There's crutches in the front seat, a wheelchair in back," Williams said. "All this stuff is really visible. For them to see all that and not have a conscience is really disappointing."
Williams was severely injured eight years ago, in an on-the-job accident, when she fell out of a window while installing an air conditioner. What followed were numerous painful surgeries, then finally, amputation.
Her vehicle, a 1995 Chevy Sportvan was part of her personal recovery plan.
After losing a leg, she wasn't going to take the loss of the van lying down.
"I wasn't going to lay around a cry and feel sorry for myself," she said. "I just didn't want to let this person win."
Thus, the signs, the vigil and countless curious stares and expressions of sympathy from passersby. And, more than that, the admiration for someone who's down, but fighting back.
sot: nicole jeffrey, neighbor-
"I think that's awesome," said neighbor Nicole Jeffrey. "Hopefully it will shame the person who stole it into bringing it back or something."
Williams says a money order for her rent money was also inside the van.
She's hoping the thief will see the stories about her plight and abandon the vehicle intact.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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