Warren man grateful officers found him replacement for stolen wheelchair

Staff report

WARREN

Frank Drummond, 79, has been having a lot of medical problems recently and experienced another setback Tuesday morning when he discovered his wheelchair had been stolen from his yard.

He called 911 and spoke to Warren police officers, who learned that Drummond was relying on the wheelchair to get around because of his severe breathing problems.

“I can’t breathe when I walk,” Drummond told The Vindicator Tuesday morning from the shady spot in his backyard where he enjoys sitting out. When he talks more than a few seconds, he wheezes.

“I almost died a couple months ago,” he said of other health issues.

“I’ve had seven surgeries in the last seven months.”

Drummond has emphysema, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as COPD. He’s had pneumonia multiple times in recent months.

Drummond said he has been keeping his wheelchair near the front door of his home on Idywild Street because it’s difficult for him to get a wheelchair in and out of the house.

When police officers learned how important the wheelchair is to Drummond’s mobility, they contacted Med Star Ambulance of Warren to see if it could help.

Within an hour, an officer was back with a Med Star wheelchair for Drummond to use.

“The cops were very nice to me,” Drummond said, sitting in an outdoor chair next to the wheelchair.

“I said, ‘Tell them thank you a thousand times,” Drummond said of Med Star. “I didn’t think they would get me one that fast.”

Drummond said he will find a way to put the replacement wheelchair in a safe place or put a “lock and chain” on it.