In the couple of weeks since the scooter he needed to get to and from work was stolen, an Edinburgh man has gotten calls, had someone pay for his groceries and was given a new scooter from people who just wanted to help.
Lee Wood had only been living in Edinburgh for about a month when the scooter the double-amputee used to get to work was stolen. Wood’s feet had been amputated when he was a toddler due to a medical condition that resulted in him losing blood circulation. He had moved north from Columbus to cut his commute to his job in Edinburgh.
The theft made him consider moving, but then the community responded, he said.
“I was seriously considering leaving Edinburgh,” Wood said. “I wanted to move out after this happened. With all the support from Edinburgh and the community, I have a little bit of faith in humanity.”
When word spread about the theft, Wood was contacted by multiple people from the community with offers to help. One person offered to pay for Wood’s groceries. Another handed him money while he was at a store. Others have come by to talk to him as they have seen him out and about in Edinburgh to simply to ask how he was doing.
And an anonymous donor gave Wood a blue, Tao Tao 50cc scooter — a newer model of the one that had been stolen. He received the scooter after work Monday and was riding it to work on Tuesday. The person, who doesn’t want to be identified, had called Wood and just wanted to do something nice, Wood said.
“I want to tell them, from the bottom of my heart, that I appreciate everything,” Wood said. “I am blessed and thankful and appreciative.”
He’s also taken steps to make sure his new scooter doesn’t get stolen.
Having moved from his second story apartment to one on the first floor, Wood is now keeping the scooter inside, rather than leaving it outside under a tarp and chained to a tree like he used to, he said.
He also wants people to understand that what appears to be a small crime, such as the theft of his scooter, has a huge impact.
“I hope that maybe someone, sometime, somewhere may think twice before they steal something,” Wood said.
