Boy gets new wheelchair ramp after his was stolen
By The Bakersfield Californian
A family is celebrating after receiving a generous gift from a local business.
On May 20, 12-year-old Jonathan Albiar Duarte's wheelchair ramp was stolen from outside his home on Baker Street.
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Casey Christie / The Californian Jonathan Albiar Duarte had so much fun with his new electric wheelchair donated to him by Lortz Manufacturing Company that he drove it in front of his house past his new ramp Friday evening. Lortz also donated the ramp that was stolen from his house recently in east Bakersfield.
Casey Christie / The Californian Jonathan Albiar Duarte loves his new electric wheelchair and steel ramp that Lortz Manufacturing Company donated to him after his ramp was stolen out of his front yard recently in east Bakersfield.
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Born with caudal regression syndrome, Jonathan is paralyzed from the waist down. Without the ramp, he struggled to get his wheelchair into and out of his house.
After hearing about the incident, Lortz Manufacturing Co. offered to build a new ramp for the family.
On May 29, workers went to the house to get measurements, and Friday they dropped off a new ramp at the family's home.
Santiago Duarte, Jonathan's father, said the ramp would help both Jonathan and his mother, who is paralyzed on the left side of her body,
"It is awesome," he said of the new ramp. "It will definitely be put to use."
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