The rise of Amazon and online shopping has created a new breed of thieves who are more than willing to take their chances like game show contestants, wagering that there’s something worth stealing in the boxes delivered to people’s front porches.
Just about anything could be in those boxes: New sneakers, video games, expensive clothing, you name it. Or, in this case, incredibly expensive, life-saving medication for a teenage cancer patient.
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Which just goes to further prove that porch pirates are the worst.
A family in Nevada is devastated after a thief made off with $40,000 in chemotherapy medication.
The medication is for 14-year-old Gage Haynes, who has been fighting a rare form of cancer since he was six months old.
Gage says that the medication has been a recent addition to his fight.
“I have Systemic Mastocytosis. It’s a rare form of cancer and its just been happening my whole life so i’m used to it,” he told KLAS . “Now, we’ve finally found a way to help it. My whole life there’s really been nothing.”
Gage’s mother, Stacy Shavinsky, says it wasn’t easy to get the medication.
“I worked really hard to get him that,” she said. “I did financial assistance because it costs $40,000 a month because it’s not FDA approved for anyone under 18.”
But because Gage has the adult form of the disease, this medication can help him. Gage takes eight Ryedapt pills every day.
A porch camera caught the brazen daylight robbery as it happened.
Carrying an orange and a can of soda, the thief, wearing a plaid shirt and a Montreal Expos baseball cap, casually strolls up to the door and grabs the boxes sitting on the porch and walks off with them.
Stacy is making a public appeal to have the medicine returned.
“Once I realized that it was my son’s medication, I got upset,” she said. “You’re not just taking pants or a shirt, you’re taking something that’s keeping someone alive.”
“It really helps me out a lot,” Gage added.
“I would feel a lot better, so I can go to school, get good grades, get a job, so please just return it.” Police have been notified, but the family really just wants their property back.
Las Vegas police have also put out a public appeal for help identifying the thief.
The suspect left the soda can behind, so some folks online are wondering if police can lift fingerprints from it to help track the thief down.
Meanwhile, Stacey is working with the pharmaceutical company that makes the medication to get some assistance.
Watch the full video of the porch pirate right here .
There’s also a GoFundMe to help with Gage’s medication costs right here .
h/t KLAS
