By LIA SPENCER
A SPA used for hydrotherapy by a young man with cerebral palsy was stolen from his Narre Warren South home last month.
Daniel Mammone, a 25-year-old suffering from CP, was shocked to find a Camaro blow up spa, which was packaged in a box, stolen from his garage between 1 March and 12 March, just months after it was purchased.
Daniel’s mother Sharon said she and her husband Vince were away for a working project and Daniel was in respite when the spa was stolen from their St Helen’s Crescent property.
Ms Mammone said the spa was used as part of Daniel’s physiotherapy program, and it had great benefits for his mobility.
“It relaxes his muscles, helps him develop his strength in his core muscles and it improves his balance,” she said.
“Although he is wheelchair-bound, Daniel can sit more upright in his chair and has better control of his hands and arms.”
Ms Mammone said the spa was better than using a bath tub as it was portable, he could move around in it, and it was better than the pool for its temperature control and accessibility.
“He can have a full range of movements in the spa and the physio can get in with him,” she said.
“Also, with his cerebral palsy, if he is cold it is difficult to bring his body temperature up and if he is warm, it is difficult to bring his temperature down. So with the spa, we can control the temperature, but we can’t at the pool.”
Ms Mammone said she was angry when she discovered the spa was stolen, especially as Daniel did so much advocating for people with CP.
Daniel’s most recent aim was to get post office mail boxes and bank ATM’s lowered, so they were accessible for people in wheelchairs.
He had written to the local minister as well as the banks to bring their attention to the issue.
Ms Mammone said she hoped the person or people who stole the spa would return it or turn themselves in to police.
“I want to think that there is still some decency in people. We don’t want this happening to anyone else,” she said.
“I want people to stop and think about the wider consequences of their actions.”
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
