During the season of giving, when most people are buying gifts and spreading joy, one Scrooge-like bandit was busy taking from Layna Rizzo and her family.
And what he took was of immeasurable value to Rizzo’s disabled daughter, Gina.
The morning of Dec. 8, Rizzo and her husband, Billy, were preparing for a visit to a doctor’s office. Billy recently had cervical spinal-cord surgery and was going for a follow-up visit.
Since it had snowed that weekend, they borrowed a van from their older daughter and son-in-law. The 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan handled better than their small Kia, and made transporting Gina easier. The 18-year-old, who attends St. Katherine’s School in Wynnewood, had the day off for a Catholic holiday.
Billy warmed up the van, then went back inside the family’s Southwest Philly home for his insurance card. A few minutes later, when the Rizzos opened the door to take Gina into the van, the vehicle was gone.
Inside the van was Gina’s custom-made car seat and stroller, valued at about $2,000.
The teen, who suffers from a severe neurological disease called Rett Syndrome, is physically dependent on her parents. The rare ailment, which has no known cause or cure, occurs in about one in 10,000 female births. Children with this disorder develop normally until they are 1-1/2 to 2 years old, when they start to exhibit the extensive physical disabilities and severe mental handicaps characteristic of the disease.
Although Gina is physically disabled and cannot speak, her pleasant demeanor is evident through her constant smile.
Rizzo, originally of Seventh and Fitzwater, said she takes complete care of Gina, who has no functional use of her hands and must use diapers.
Besides Rett Syndrome, Gina also suffers from the spinal misalignment scoliosis. The stroller, custom-made to ease her disorders, has a lateral support on one side for her scoliosis, a head support and an extra cushion on the bottom to support her thin frame. Although Gina is small for her age, she had an adult car seat because she is too large for a child’s seat.
Rizzo, a hairdresser at Heads Up Salon at 1800 Shunk St., said she reported the crime the morning it occurred. The officers with whom she spoke speculated that a neighborhood kid on his way to school probably took the van and, if so, it could turn up nearby. (The silver van has a dent in the left back bumper. The vehicle’s Pennsylvania license plate is EKX 1665.)
Community Relations Officer Joe Young of the 12th District verified the theft of a vehicle from the 2500 block of South 66th Street on Dec. 8. Rizzo’s homeowners’ insurance will cover the contents of the car, including the stroller and car seat.
"Although the insurance company will cover the theft, it is a long process to apply for a stroller," Rizzo explained.
She had just received the stolen stroller for Gina in July after applying for it in February.
In the interim, Gina can ride the bus to school in her wheelchair, but since the chair is too big to fit in the family car, she cannot go anyplace else.
Rizzo is still incredulous that a thief’s split-second crime will potentially affect her daughter for months.
"We gave someone the opportunity because we left the car running even if for just a few minutes," she said. "You just don’t ever think something bad is going to happen to you."
