AN APPEAL has gone viral across Facebook in Wexford after a petrol generator which was used for vital medical equipment for an eight year-old child with special needs was stolen from the home of a Bunclody family.
The incident took place between midday on Monday of last week and 9 a.m. last Tuesday at a house on Hospital Hill, Bunclody. The generator was being stored in a shed at the back of the house and was said to have been of vital importance for respiratory equipment that was belonging to a child with special needs.
The family involved were left feeling completely dejected following the incident and many friends and family members immediately took to popular Wexford Facebook pages in a bid to track down the stolen equipment or to get any information on those responsible.
The posts received a massive reaction as people from all over Wexford and further afield reacted with complete and utter disgust at the actions of the selfish thieves.
While wishing to remain anonymous, the mother of the little girl involved said it was the “very last thing” that her family needed.
“My daughter has special needs and a lot of very complex medical needs,” she said. “She requires a lot of machinery such as feeding machinery, a nebulizer, a breathing machine for at night time. None of these are run on batteries. All are run from electricity. We had a switch in the hall of the house that if the electricity went, we could switch to the generator. Now I don’t know what we’d do. If the electricity went, it would be a case that we’d have to rush her straight to the hospital.”
The heartbroken mother said that she doesn’t know what her family will do now as she is not in the position to replace the vital generator herself.
“I would ask that if somebody out there has it, that they would hand it in somewhere anonymously even,” she said. “The people who stole this don’t realise just how vital this is for my daughter. Life is difficult enough for her on a day to day basis and now it’s harder and there’s more pressure.”
A spokesperson for Enniscorthy Gardaí said that they were looking into the matter, but at the moment, unfortunately they have no leads in the case.
“Obviously the matter is under investigation at the moment,” the spokesman said. “Unfortunately, we’ve no real leads at this moment in time, but we are appealing to members of the public who may have seen anything suspicious or may have been offered a generator for sale to come forward to us.”
Anyone with any information is asked to call Enniscorthy Garda Station (0539242580), Bunclody Garda Station (0539377102) or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
