Cancer patient has PSP stolen en route to chemotherapy treatment

There's depressing gaming stories, and then there are outright travesties. Unfortunately, this case falls squarely into the latter category, as a 7-year old cancer patient had his beloved PlayStation Portable swiped -- right along with his medical records, a backpack full of medication, his games and even his homework -- while en route to a chemotherapy treatment for a tumor in his brain. Apparently the boy's family had stopped at a restaurant while traveling from Oklahoma to Texas, and while inside, thieves had their way with what was left inside the vehicle. Thankfully, authorities from the Dallas police department came to the rescue by purchasing a brand new PSP and raising over $1,000 to repurchase the goods that were lost, and as for the crooks, we'll just trust karma to handle the rest.

[Via PSPFanboy, image courtesy of Flickr]

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Mar 30th 2008 9:08AM]

I can relate to this kid. At age 7 I was spending more time in Hospital than anywhere else including my home. This is horrible how people just don't care anymore, the thieves i mean). As I began to read i thought, hmm I have two psp's. I should send him one. then I saw how the local police bought him a new one. Great Job guys and gals at that police force. Kudos to you for making a very sick kid Happy again. Kudos indeed!!!!

[rouge @ Mar 30th 2008 10:53AM]

WTF!?
That's not right..
I used to steal long ago, but at least I did it to complete dicks

[madeforidiots @ Mar 30th 2008 10:22AM]

@Rouge

You must be an idiot.

[Steve Jones @ Mar 30th 2008 10:31AM]

Yes it was a shitty thing to do but I doubt they stole it knowing he was a cancer victim; however i'm not condoning this in any way but it is worth pointing out. Just double bad luck on the boys part. Would car insurance cover this?

[LC @ Mar 30th 2008 12:06PM]

"Yes it was a shitty thing to do but I doubt they stole it knowing he was a cancer victim"

Probably not while he stole it, but when he opened the bag and saw the medical records and meds along with the PSP, he most certainly did. The thief was a scumbag for stealing and an unforgivable scumbag for not anonymously returning what he stole when he realized who he stole from.

[Kurt MacD @ Mar 30th 2008 2:33PM]

Stealing is bad, I agree. But at the same time I agree with Rouge too. I was young once too :D And yes, people usually only pick complete dicks to vadilize/steal from.

[straycat5150 @ Mar 30th 2008 3:30PM]

"I used to steal long ago, but at least I did it to complete dicks"
"Stealing is bad, I agree. But at the same time I agree with Rouge too. I was young once too :D And yes, people usually only pick complete dicks to vadilize/steal from."
To Rogue and Kurt MacD:

That is the STUPIDEST thing I have ever read. Stealing/vandalism is a CRIME. No matter who the victim is. First of all, who are you to judge if someone is a complete dick if you are a thief or vandal. Furthermore, are you trying to tell me that thiefs/vandals have scruples? "Oh It would be wrong to steal from that guy, but this guy must be dick so its o.k. Great Morals!

Do the world a favor. Turn yourself into the authorities now and save us alot of trouble, OR just make sure to drink all of the tainted kool-aid go to sleep.

[John @ Mar 30th 2008 6:08PM]

@straycat5150

You've seriously never committed a crime in your life? Never tried weed? Never sipped some alcohol while underage? Never crossed the street other than the designated crosswalk? The point that the two posters above were trying to make is that thefts like these are anonymous. Any elaboration of the victim's condition is pure sensationalism.

[LC @ Mar 30th 2008 10:20PM]

John-

The crimes you mentioned are not ones where you are directly, or even indirectly harming ore stealing from another person. What does smoking weed or underage drinking have to do with stealing someone else's property? Who cares if it is sensationalist or not. It was an interesting news story, as evidenced by the number of posts here alone.

[straycat5150 @ Mar 31st 2008 11:41AM]

@ John
I never said that I never committed a crime. That is not the point.
The two posters were not saying that the victims were anonymous, they were implying that theft/vandalism was "OK" because their victims were "dicks" and somehow they deserved it. That's ridiculous.

Yes, a child with cancer getting a PSP stolen is sad and a crime, just as much as it happening to anyone else. Does it warrant being sensationalized and written about? Perhaps not. But it isn't time for people to speak up and say,"I only steal from dicks!", either. If you steal/vandalize, you're the actual "dick".

Not that it matters, but I had cancer as a child and was fortunate enough to overcome it. If someone stole something of mine during that time, It may or may not deserve headline news. Or, perhaps, I was a "dick" and I deserved it.

[Wwhat @ Mar 31st 2008 2:28PM]

It's 2008, you can't 'anonymously' return stuff, at best you can claim you found it dumped.
And perhaps it was stolen by another cancer patient :P
As for thievery, in my area when you leave anything in a car there's a 100%+ chance it's stolen (day or night), and when not there's still a 5% chance they break the window 'just because', unless they put the car on fire of course, I'm not sure they break the window for that.

[LC @ Mar 31st 2008 4:43PM]

"It's 2008, you can't 'anonymously' return stuff, at best you can claim you found it dumped."

Nonsense. Of course something can be returned anonymously. All you have to do is hide it somewhere and use a payphone(yes there are some still around) and call the cops and tell them where you left it. It's not like they are going to waste resources and break out the CSI kit to find out who the thief is.

[Flashpoint @ Mar 30th 2008 9:08AM]

This is almost as depressing as that kid who got tricked on Christmas - with clothes in an Xbox360 box.

I suppose SONY should shower this kid with gifts like a signed PSP and signed PS3 Metal Gear Solid edition.

[martin @ Mar 30th 2008 10:57AM]

ALMOST as depressing? this kids got cancer.

[LC @ Mar 30th 2008 12:07PM]

I thought the same thing Martin. Almost?

[User @ Mar 30th 2008 6:36PM]

Wow. An XBOX is just a silly game console. Who cares if he got clothes instead of an XBOX? This kid has cancer... Uhm... Wow.

[Link740 @ Mar 30th 2008 9:08PM]

"No, that is not the same! This kid has cancer! Oh no! It MUST be bad!"

Do yourselves a favor, and look around. What do you see?

What do I see? I see MILLIONS of children with cancer. Some still in the womb. This is a videogame system and medical records, guys. Sony will probably get him a new PSP and the hospital probably has another copy. If they were a "normal" hospital that is...

Why am I saying cancer isn't so bad to me? Because I had to sit through 2 of my best friend's MOTHERS die of cancer. My friend's mom died of poisoning, and then his adoptive mom died. He was 13. My other friend's mom and GRANDMOTHER died of cancer. I know what I'm talking about when I say "It's no big deal."

Although, the theives should be introduced to "Mr. Shot-gun". Mr.shot-gun, meet mr.head. Have fun!

[gsk @ Mar 30th 2008 11:13PM]

"No, that is not the same! This kid has cancer! Oh no! It MUST be bad!'

Why am I saying cancer isn't so bad to me? Because I had to sit through 2 of my best friend's MOTHERS die of cancer. My friend's mom died of poisoning, and then his adoptive mom died. He was 13. My other friend's mom and GRANDMOTHER died of cancer. I know what I'm talking about when I say "It's no big deal."

Link 740, what you're saying is pretty messed up. It's apparent that you've taken your friends' "It's no big deal[s]" all too seriously, when all they wanted was to avoid the receiving end your pity. When someone close to you dies, it's never "no big deal". You aren't even speaking from your own personal experience, so in short, shut the fuck up. You don't know what you're saying.

[R @ Mar 30th 2008 9:09AM]

Karma's great, but maybe some Texas justice wouldn't be so bad either...

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 30th 2008 9:24AM]

They say "Having good character is its own reward." So I guess that "having bad character is its own punishment," at least in the long run.

Let's just hope those crooks read engadget so they'll find out what complete @$$holes they are.

[BananaBoat @ Mar 30th 2008 9:10AM]

If John Lennon was right, then Karma should have already gotten them

[Simon @ Mar 30th 2008 9:22AM]

lol, if John was right then he would still be with us.

Karma is BS, we are pattern seeking creatures and apply false biases upon random events.

The end.

Of course I hope for world peace and equality for all. But believing in some weird force or supernatural entity to look over us is childish. We should be able to grow beyond that kind of thinking and advance to a true state of consciousness and understanding of the world.

Perhaps that is what Buddha was thinking of when he came to the realisation of the universe. Even though I am not Buddist, I can see the clarity of his thoughts, the same can be said of some of what Jesus said.

But this is the comments section in a technology blog, and so is not really the place to be discussing such thoughts.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 30th 2008 9:27AM]

@Simon

And yet, you're bringing all this crap up, trying to bait the religious folks into flaming you.

. . . and on a Sunday morning, no less. You @$$ should be in church.

Much love,
Master Yoda, D.M.A.

[mymaclife @ Mar 30th 2008 10:05AM]

@ Simon

So why the mini sermon then if you end it with 'this is not the place'

As bad as those who start a post with 'Words fail me' then write three paragraphs.

[carbonrain @ Mar 30th 2008 2:06PM]

@Simon

you're right, it's a shame

[Derbeste @ Mar 31st 2008 11:52AM]

Simon...

Shouldn't you be off telling some Kareoke singer how bad they are?

[Shane @ Mar 30th 2008 9:15AM]

There's a special place in Hell for people who would steal a kid's backpack, particularly when that kid is a cancer patient with a brain tumor.

Granted, the thieves probably weren't intelligent enough to examine the other contents of the bag and likely wouldn't have made a moral judgment based on them anyway. (that is, assuming they were intelligent enough to read the medical records inside the bag).

[Dave @ Mar 30th 2008 11:11AM]

yeah I mean as bad of a stoey as this is, its not AS bad as the title made it seem...I was first thinking that this kid got his PSP stolen like when he was in the hospital and being transferring into chemo, which would have probably been one of the worst things ever. This though, just seems like a random robbing of a car.

[Blaktornado @ Mar 30th 2008 9:16AM]

*sigh* What has the world come to?

[Alex @ Mar 30th 2008 12:36PM]

"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."

Marilyn Manson, 'I Don't Like The Media But The Media Likes Me' - Columbine statement

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Mar 31st 2008 3:46AM]

This news article just makes me want to pick up my PSP again, lol.

[DiscoCat5 @ Mar 30th 2008 9:17AM]

if i ever meet that guy i will turn the town into beat down city... ON HIM! some poeple.. ahh ... you know what i mean,, pinheads and such,,,, i sure hope they find those guys, and instead of sentence them to one week community service or some bullshit they should stone them! lol like the onlden days.... and bible and such....

[bi0hazard @ Mar 30th 2008 1:30PM]

yea
tar and feather him!

[DiscoCat5 @ Mar 30th 2008 9:17AM]

if i ever meet that guy i will turn the town into beat down city... ON THEM! some poeple.. ahh ... you know what i mean,, pinheads and such,,,, i sure hope they find those guys, and instead of sentence them to one week community service or some bullshit they should stone them! lol like the onlden days.... and bible and such....

[DiscoCat5 @ Mar 30th 2008 9:18AM]

OH SHIT double post... lol just had my double post cherry popped... gross. thats almost as bad a story as when local fuckwits beat a cat so badly its eyes fell out and the 10 year old boy owner was deavstated.. a sad morning that was indeed.

[Mike @ Mar 30th 2008 9:19AM]

nice work texas rangers!!

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 30th 2008 9:28AM]

@ myself

That was supposed to be "YOUR @$$," not "you @$$." I'm not calling Simon an @$$.

Just clarifying.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 30th 2008 9:31AM]

Dang it, why doesn't it "Reply" when I tell it to "Reply" ?!?!?!?!?

[Jonathan @ Mar 30th 2008 9:58AM]

I've had it happen to me, as well as seen it dozens of times (people always reply to themselves to complain about it), but when I first complained about it months ago, the trolls on here flamed me and said I need to learn how to click the Reply button. Same thing is happening on Joystiq, I hear, so they really need a new comment system.

[Jeremy W @ Mar 30th 2008 11:16AM]

I've found that after posting a comment, if you try and reply to someone else it will always post as a new comment. You need to get rid of the crap at the end of the URL and reload the page before you can reply again.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 30th 2008 9:30AM]

"Thank you, God, for my two boys . . . Walker, and Texas Ranger."

[David Cohen @ Mar 30th 2008 9:31AM]

Well, it is a sad story - but is being completely misrepresented!

Firstly, the thieves are scumbags, because all theft is a personal attack on someone. But come on, they stole a backpack from a car. They won't have even looked in it until they got away. There is NO WAY that they knew they were stealing from a kid with a tumour, on his way to chemo. It is not like they mugged the kid for his PSP outside the cancer unit... so the way this is being reported is way off base.

Secondly, THEY LEFT HIS BACKPACK ON THE BACK SEAT WHILE THEY WENT IN TO DENNY'S! Unfortunately, in this day and age, you have to take some personal responsibility to avoid being a victim of crime. Leaving bags on show in cars is asking to be ripped off.

I am glad that because of his personal situation the local cops had a whip round for the kid. Probably better off than he would have got from his insurance. I just wish the media would repeat more of the facts and less of the mawkish sentiment.

[MatthewJ @ Mar 30th 2008 10:20AM]

Indeed, I was wondering why so many were overlooking that detail in their outrage.

Its sad for the kid, but really the thieves are no more reprehensible than regular crooks, its not like they deliberately picked this kid because he had cancer.

[Azayzel @ Mar 30th 2008 10:22AM]

I totally agree with you and was thinking the same way. While theft of personal property is a travesty in itself, it's not like the thieves singled out this kid for their heist. Furthermore, it isn't stated whether or not the family left their car doors unlocked or how the thieves broke into the vehicle to steal the items.

Stealing isn't right, but using the media to stoke and twist people's emotions is just as malicious (yet done all the time). I'm glad the kid got the PSP back, but I also know that if they have full-coverage insurance they would have be compensated by their insurance company as well. Did the cops, in Texas nonetheless, by me a new stereo system when mine was stolen from my car a few years ago? Nope, but my insurance covered it just the same.

On to the other messed up examples of bad things to poor kids... what ever happened with the poor kid tricked into thinking he got a 360 and just got a stuffed box? Did anyone by him on out of pity too?

[LC @ Mar 30th 2008 12:13PM]

So, did the thieves somehow overlook the rest of what they stole? I mean there were meds and medical records in there. A thief would have scoured the bag for anything valuable so he or she most definitely saw the records and knew that the contents belonged to someone who was sick. They are scumbags because they knew who they stole from after the fact and made no attempt to return it. Anonymously or not.

[Doerrfan @ Mar 30th 2008 9:32AM]

Great of the Police Department to do that.
Its sad to see people do this, reasons why i have little faith left in humanity.

[Flashpoint @ Mar 30th 2008 9:40AM]

I'm waiting for the robotic overthrow of humanity.
We deserve it.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 30th 2008 10:16AM]

Speak for yourself, Flashpoint.

[Mobius_1 @ Mar 30th 2008 11:27AM]

Flashpoint, please don't start building autonomous killer enslaving robots, most of us still want to live a normal life (but if you are going to make crime-busting robots, you have my support)

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 30th 2008 1:17PM]

@ Mobius_1

You mean like THIS crime-busting robot?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ED-209

"Put down your weapon . . . you have 30 seconds to comply."

(ah . . . how I love off-topic comments)