Stephen Martinez has been paralyzed from the waist down since 2014 after he got in a car wreck.
“I fell asleep behind the wheel and I ended up crashing my truck and flipping four times and I got ejected out,” Martinez said.
At first he said it was very difficult physically and emotionally working through the daily struggle of being restricted to a wheelchair, but he said his life changed tremendously when he was gifted with a special therapy bike that would help him gain muscle in his legs.
“It has meant a lot you know ever since I got it, it has boosted up my self confidence it has helped me move my legs out and a lot of it makes me feel better and about things around me and people around me,” Martinez said.
On Sunday night, Martinez said his neighbor came knocking on his door and told him he saw two men take off with the therapy bike from the front yard heading North on Boston.
“I was so shocked, why would someone do that?” Martinez said.
His family has taken to Facebook to ask the community to help look for the bike. They also created a gofundme hoping to raise funds for a new one. Esmeralda Martinez, Stephen’s mother said she plans to create flyers.
“Well really honestly I was heartbroken because I saw the difference from before and after, and the bike gave him hope, more hope than ever, for him to be able to walk again,” Martinez said.
