UPDATED: Custom bikes stolen from Saskatoon girl with spina bifida

It’s not only unfortunate, but also upsetting for most people when their bikes are stolen.

And for one 12-year-old Saskatoon girl, it’s even worse. According to a recent Saskatoon Police Service Facebook post, the girl’s bikes were stolen from her grandfather’s backyard in the 1000 block of Avenue J South sometime between Sunday, June 21, and Tuesday June 23.

The girl has spina bifida and the bikes were her way of experiencing a bit of freedom and fresh air.

Saskatoon Police Detective Cst. Candace Mitchell says they were locked in a shed in the backyard.

“The backyard is totally secure with locked gates, and the fence is at least six feet high. It was not breached in any way, so whoever went in there to access these bikes lifted them over the fence.”

Now, the girl is confined to her wheelchair.

One of the bikes was a tandem bike, with a seat mounted on the front of it with a five-point harness and weighs over 75 lbs. The other bike was a red ‘tri-rider,’ with just one speed and 10 in. wheels, a white basket on the front and straps on the pedals.  Both were custom made for her size and needs, and initially worth about $3,000.

The family has been researching the cost of replacing them, which could be even more, now. Mitchell says the bikes would be useless to anyone besides the girl.

Since Saskatoon Police posted information on the thefts on their Facebook page, Mitchell says the family has been overwhelmed with support, and the post has at least 2,700 shares.

“They’ve been feeling grateful for the response from the community. They’ve had people reach out to them on social media and contacting them offering to help in whatever way they can.”