Tools worth thousands stolen from Good Samaritan
Tractor trek raised $18,000 for kids of terminally ill mom
The Good Samaritan who drove his vintage tractor around Ontario to raise money for an Ottawa-area mother with terminal cancer, has been robbed of some of his most precious possessions — the tools he uses to repair that tractor.
Mike Thompson, who owns property northwest of Pakenham, said he arrived there a few days ago to find out thieves had stolen between $6,000 and $7,000 worth of tools and machinery from his workshop there.
“I can’t believe they would have done this to me.”
Thompson had been working on the vintage 1959 David Brown tractor that he drove around the province over the summer, flying a breast cancer flag and pulling a trailer with information about Jillian O’Connor and her family. Much of his engine was in pieces around the workshop — something he is grateful the thieves did not disturb.
Thompson, who did not know O’Connor, was moved by her story and wanted to do something to help her three young children so he planned to drive the tractor around the province as part of a fundraising drive. He raised $18,000 for their education funds.
Thompson said that tractor started acting up on the fundraising trip and he has spent part of the fall doing engine repairs. Now, he says, he will have to replace dozens of specialized tools before he can resume the work. He said the tools were covered by insurance.
O’Connor made headlines when she received chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer while she was still pregnant with her youngest child. She remains at home with her family and receives regular treatment for the cancer, which has spread to her brain and other organs.