Vancouver senior gets donated replacement for stolen scooter

A 70-year-old Vancouver senior can now get around with more ease thanks to a donor who has provided him with a replacement electric scooter.

Last week, Simon Gall’s scooter was stolen while he was visiting a friend’s house on West 18th Avenue in Mount Pleasant. He parked it in the laneway, but when he returned he discovered it had been stolen.

The scooter had a market value of $3,500. With a fixed income, Gall was not be able to afford a new scooter with his own finances.

A public plea for the thief to return the scooter was made earlier this week and there was even a short-lived fundraiser.

“A scooter has been donated to Simon Gall from a very kind person in North Vancouver,” said Léo Newman, a spokesperson with Nurse Next Door Home Care Services.

The scooter was donated by a client of local realtors Jim and Dawn Williamson after reading yesterday’s story on Vancity Buzz.

“This broke our hearts and we reached out to our client Margo, who’s late father had a scooter, to see if we could purchase it for Simon,” the Williamsons wrote on their Facebook page. “Bless her heart, she decided to donate it to him and it is on its way right now.”

Gall experiences mobility issues. It is too dangerous for him to ride a bicycle and his knee will give in if he walks for extensive periods – he is unable to walk more than 40 yards without rest.

“Consequently, we are shifting our fundraising efforts to The Dream On Seniors Wish Foundation as we feel it aligns closely with what we aimed to do for Simon Gall,” added Newman. “We wish Simon the very best with his new scooter!”