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WASHINGTON TERRACE — Life hasn't been easy for Jason Cody.
"I'm pushing myself, living alone like this," the Washington Terrace resident said, gesturing around the basement apartment he's called home for the past four years.
A Vietnam veteran, Cody suffers from several health issues: heart disease, bad lungs and post-traumatic stress disorder, to name a few.
"Bad dreams, that's the worst part," Cody said.
But through it all, he's kept on going — until he just couldn't go anymore.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Cody's new black-and-yellow wheelchair was stolen from outside his home.
"I kind of suspect somebody just decided they needed that wheelchair more than I did, or maybe (thought) they could sell it and make some money," Cody said.
The wheelchair, worth roughly $500, was donated to him by the Knights of Columbus so he could go out with his friends. It was easier to pack in a car than his electric wheelchair, he said.
"One of (my friends) was talking about going fishing, which I could do with that chair," Cody said.
He reported the theft to the Weber County Sheriff's Office, but there's only so much investigators can do. Cody is hoping that getting his story, and pictures of the wheelchair, out to the public will give him a better chance of getting it back.
"I hope they catch him," he said.
After hearing his story, the Utah Elks veterans committee chairman contacted Cody Tuesday and arranged to have another wheelchair donated to him later this week. However, Weber County deputies would still like to find out what happened to the stolen wheelchair.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Cody's chair is asked to contact the Weber County Sheriff's Office at 801-629-8221.
Contributing: Jordan Ormond
