St. Paul man battling ALS has truck, power chair stolen: "I just couldn't even breathe"
UPDATE (July 11, 2023). Police say they found the stolen SUV. What follows is a revised version of the original story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Kyle Schultz has an empty driveway, and a broken heart.
"I just couldn't even breathe," Schultz said. "I was just like blown away."
At just 26 years old, Schultz lives with ALS.
"They gave me one to three years to live," Schultz said. "And that was a little over two years ago now."
ALS is an incurable disease that attacks the nervous system and weakens muscles over time.
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"It's not easy being younger and dealing with all of this," he said. "I'm way too young to have to go through this. It just seems like everyone's lives around me is moving forward and mine's coming to an end."
Schultz's fight become more difficult after a thief snatched his truck early Monday morning. The perpetrator was caught on Schultz's doorbell security camera taking the truck and thousands of dollars of valuables inside – from wheelchair ramps to his driver's license, to his service dog's vest.
Out of everything taken though, the most valuable item is his power chair.
"I have no way of getting around without that chair," Schultz said. "I'm just kind of stuck in the house. And depression definitely go way up if I can't like at least go out and go to the park with my dog. That's the only way I can like distract myself from what's going on."
"It's heartbreaking," said Schultz's mom, Jodi Halverson. "You're taking from a handicapped person that's already a terminally ill kid that's already heartbroken."
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While heartbroken, Schultz is hoping for a miracle.
"I'm not even mad," he said. "I just would like the chair back and, you know, just for things to be made right."
Police told WCCO on Tuesday that officers found Schultz's white Chevy Tahoe in the area of Winnipeg Avenue West and Rice Street at about 3:45 p.m.
"The truck was stripped of wheels and parts and the wheelchair in question was not located," said Sgt. Mike Ernster.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the St. Paul Police Department at 651-291-1111.
