Thieves steal man's wheelchair hoist
You have to get back on that horse, Mike Hamill says, only in his case, it's a boat rocking the waves.
But that's not going to be possible now, since thieves broke into the secure underground parking at Hamill's Ladner condo and stole his wheelchair hoist, perhaps thinking it was a fancy engine crane. But it was a custom-built hoist to lift Hamill, a paraplegic since a whale-on-boat accident off Haida Gwaii three years ago, into a boat again and get him back on the water.
The hoist — designed and built by his friend Wayne Davis' company, Lancaster Mobility — is literally useless to anyone else, he said.
“I have dreamt of being on my boat for three years,” Hamill said.
“It was designed ergonomically to lift me and my chair onto the boat. It serves no other purpose.”
He guesses the time, effort and parts that went into it cost about $10,000. Friends have started a GoFundMe page for a new one.
“It was a great, great gift. It arrived in late September ... but we haven't got on the boat yet.”
The one-time bodybuilding, powerlifting and wrestling champion spent more than six months in hospital rehab, while friends renovated his condo to make it wheelchair-friendly. Hamill also used the time to help his friend and “Man In Motion” Rick Hansen raise $200,000 to help equip a gym for cancer patients.
Hamill was so excited about eventually getting back in a boat and on the water again, despite the horrific accident in 2017.
“It's like diving,” Hamill said. “You have a bad experience diving, it doesn't mean you stop. It means you continue. This was my getback-on-the-horse. It's a dream of mine, and it's a dream I'd like to see go to fruition.”
The thieves were caught on video sneaking in behind a resident returning in the early hours on Monday, hiding behind vehicles, breaking into one for a fob to open the gate, and then driving a pickup truck inside. There were other items stolen besides Hamill's hoist.
Police found the truck abandoned. It had been stolen.
Hamill has his fingers crossed this won't wind up being the worst Christmas ever.
“We're hoping because it's Christmastime, and 2020 has been
such a tough year for all of us, perhaps these people will look in their hearts and return it because it's irreplaceable. ”
If anyone saw a green Ford F150 XTR late on Dec. 14 or early Dec. 15, or has seen the wheelchair hoist, call Delta police at 604-946-4411.