By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
A BERWICK mother has praised her local community for their generosity after her children – including a six-year-old son diagnosed with leukaemia – had their toys stolen from under their noses.
Security footage seen by Nicole Kassanis reveals a man stopped outside her family’s home around 1am on Tuesday 21 April and stole a bike, a scooter, a skate ramp and a basketball from the front yard.
Nicole was at hospital overnight with her son Nicholas at the time, who was undergoing treatment for leukaemia.
Nicole’s husband Luke and her other children Riley, 11, Christian, 9, and Alexandra, 4, were all sleeping inside the house when the toys were stolen.
Nicole said she had been overwhelmed by the number of people contacting her offering to help replace the missing items since the story gained media attention.
“What has lifted our spirits is the amount of people contacting us with offers of help and support,” she said.
“It really has shown us what a wonderful world we live in that people could be so quick to offer help to strangers and we are extremely grateful.”
But Nicole wanted to clarify to the community that the bike and scooter had actually belonged to her daughter Alexandra, while the skate ramp and basketball had been shared among the three boys.
The family has since replaced the items themselves.
However that hasn’t made the theft easier to handle.
Nicholas, whose cancer is in remission, was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was just three-and-a-half years old.
“We really felt like we were being kicked while we were down,” she said of the theft.
“Our family has dealt with enough stress and upset over the past few years, this was not something we needed.
“I am hoping the person responsible will read this and feel extremely guilty for what they have put our family through.”
Security cameras set up at the Kassanis property reveal the male thief, described as stocky, held a torch in his mouth as he loaded the toys into the boot of his car in the early hours of the morning.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
