SCOTTDALE (KDKA) — The mother of a boy with cerebral palsy wants to know why someone would damage items her son needs to stay alive.

Ian Hixson, 6, of Scottdale, also has a brain tumor. He had an appointment at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh early Monday morning, so his mother, Heather Hixson, loaded the car Sunday night.

This morning, she found the car had been broken into.

“It was chaos,” she said. “There was stuff everywhere. … All of his supplies were everywhere in the backseat. His wheelchair was torn apart and all over the road.”

The $5,000 wheelchair was broken. Another $1,000 worth of medication and supplies were either taken or destroyed.

“It makes me very angry because if you’re a special needs mom, it takes you at least nine to 20 months just to get a piece of equipment because insurance companies don’t want to pay for anything,” Hixson said, “so it makes me angry for someone to tear something apart that my son needs.”

Hixson’s car was one of at least 17 that were broken into Sunday night. Her car was locked, but many were not.

She doesn’t know if her insurance company will replace her son’s medical equipment, but she’s hoping that people who damaged it will be caught.

“And I want to meet them because I want them to see how Ian’s blessed everyone else and just blessed you guys and to make sure that they know they’re not only destroying people’s property and taking other things, but they’re taking away from a little boy,” Hixson said.

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