Syrian refugee regains freedom as Niagara medical supplier provides replacement wheelchair

A Niagara Falls medical equipment supplier is stepping up to help a Syrian refugee in Hamilton after their wheelchair was stolen earlier this week.

A young disabled Syrian refugee had his specialized wheelchair stolen from outside his house early Monday morning.

The chair was valued at over $8,000 and was the only thing that gave him independence.

22-year-old Alladin Elharb was born with a severe disability called “butterfly disease.”

“It totally disables him, making him unable to walk – the chair was helpful for him to get outside,” said Elharb’s brother Halid.

Elharb got his chair after his family fled war-torn Syria for Canada, but it was stolen Monday morning from outside their house on Madison Avenue in central Hamilton.

“What’s shocking to me is that someone would do that,” said Valerie Dalton, the CEO and president of For the Needy, Not the Greedy in Niagara Falls. “These days, you never know what people are going to do – the fact that people would steal it and leave him with anything is incomprehensible really.”

Dalton said after she saw Elharb’s story on CHCH News, she knew she could help.

“Because when you see these poor people trying to get around, to even get outside, it affects their quality of life,” said Dalton. “We knew we had to do something, and that’s what we do: help the community.”

Jason Edwards, a volunteer with For the Needy, Not the Greedy, said he knows exactly the freedom a wheelchair can bring.

“I broke my back in ’87, and have been in a chair ever since,” said Edwards.

He said it was heartbreaking to see that Elharb’s was stolen.

“I would be incensed,” said Edwards. “It’s a lifeline, independence, it’s worse than a stolen car. It’s someone taking the legs right from under you.”

Edwards said he found the perfect replacement chair for Elharb, and the store is giving it to him for free.

“Hopefully they replace the chair for my younger brother,” said Halid. “This will make him happy, he will be more excited to see the chair.”

The chair will get cleaned and fixed up, and Elharb will have his freedom back Thursday.

WATCH MORE: ‘He cannot move’: Community helps in search for wheelchair stolen from Syrian refugee in Hamilton