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Local nonprofit offers 'hope' after SUV, wheelchair stolen from St. Paul man with ALS

St. Paul PD says a 2012 Chevy Tahoe, with a wheelchair stored inside, was stolen Tuesday. The truck was later found stripped, but the wheelchair is still missing.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Hope is what 26-year-old Kyle Schultz is holding close to his heart.

"It's almost like someone stole my legs," said Schultz.

His Chevy Tahoe, with his wheelchair stored inside, was stolen earlier this week from his driveway on Jenks Avenue in St. Paul.

St. Paul police later found the stripped SUV near Winnipeg Avenue and Rice Street.

But the wheelchair was nowhere to be found.

That's when Ryan O'Neill with the O'Neill Foundation of Hope - decided to step in to help.

"He has a tattoo with the word hope on it and I just knew we had to act," said O'Neill.

"I reached out to his mom and brother on Facebook, and just said we want to give him a new chair," he said.

Kyle was diagnosed with ALS over two years ago. It's a nervous system disease, which causes loss of muscle control.

"Just to any mom out there you want to fix it and I can't fix it," said Jodi Halverson, Kyle's mother.

"Even the fact that I may not be here in a year or two, is enough to drive me crazy, every breath take I'm constantly reminded how my lungs are shutting down," said Schultz.

The community is now hoping to replace Kyle's stolen truck.

"If there's any owners of car dealerships that would be willing to donate a van, we need you, Kyle needs you," said O'Neill.

"The supporters that have been helping, I don't feel alone," said Halverson.

He's worked to find the meaning of hope, which for him, is seeing the light despite the darkness.

"Without hope, there's just fear, and I can't live every day living scared," said Kyle.

No suspect information has been released yet, but St. Paul police say they are still investigating the theft.

The new donated wheelchair is expected to be delivered to Kyle Friday.

A GoFundMe has been created to help Kyle get back on his feet.

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