LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Six-year-old Ayden Helms is smiling again after a surprise visitor to his southwest Louisville home.
"Who's that?" he asked his dad after the knock Thursday night.
His dad, Christian Helms, was in on the surprise.
As Ayden's younger sister cracked open the door, Sgt. Allan Wolf, with Louisville Metro Police, greeted them.
The smiling officer had something in his hands: part of a wheelchair that belongs to Ayden. The 6-year-old has a rare muscle condition that prevents him from straightening his legs. For Ayden, getting around is tough without the use of leg braces or his wheelchair.
"My chair!" the excited child gleefully shouted at the officer. "How you find it?"
Heather Helms reads to her son, Ayden, 6. (WDRB Photo)
Just 24 hours before that moment, a very different scene played out in the same living room. Then, Ayden was crying on his mother's shoulder.
"Not only did they take from me and my family, but they took from a six year old boy," his mother, Heather Helms, lamented.
His mother's black Hyundai Sonata, with a South Carolina plate of MDI 174, was stolen from a neighborhood on South Sixth Street in Beechmont between 3:30 and 8 a.m.
Helms said thieves made off with more than just the car. Inside it were personal papers, debit cards and other valuables. Before she discovered the crime and could alert her bank to freeze her accounts Saturday morning, Helms said her bank account was promptly depleted.
Ayden's wheelchair was stolen in the car theft. (Source: Heather Helms)
However, losing those items isn't her biggest concern. Inside the trunk of the car were Ayden's wheelchair and leg braces.
Thursday afternoon, Wolf miraculously found the wheelchair during a patrol near Newburg and returned it to Ayden that night.
His Sixth Division is still trying to track down the stolen car, the leg braces and a few parts of the wheelchair that are still missing.
Ayden's leg braces were stolen in the car theft. (Source: Heather Helms)
However, the Thursday night gesture alone earned a big hug and thanks from Ayden.
"You're best," Ayden told the officer.
"You're the best," a smiling Wolf responded.
Christian Helms said the wheelchair, once repaired, will allow Ayden to get to and from school, go on walks and generally live a more normal life.
"It means a lot," Helms said. "I mean, it shows that, you know, there's still people that actually care out there."
Gould's Discount Medical plans to replace the missing wheelchair parts if they aren't soon found. Additionally, many others have also stepped up to offer their generosity.
Ayden's parents said they can't express how grateful they are for all the kindness.
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