'My wings have been chopped off': Sask. man desperate to find stolen wheelchair-scooter

A Saskatoon man said he lost his independence after his wheelchair scooter attachment was stolen last week. He said he’s desperate to get it back because it’s custom made and priceless.

Ekram Nabi was devastated when his dad woke him up at 4 a.m. and told him someone smashed his car window, and took his wheelchair attachment.

"When the scooter was stolen it felt like my wings have been chopped off. They didn't just steal my scooter, they stole my freedom,” Nabi told CTV News.

Nabi has been in a wheelchair his whole life. He was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita which affects his calves. He said the Batec Scrambler mono wheel changed everything.

“Before I got the scooter my life was really difficult actually. I was very limited not having a vehicle. I stayed home quite a lot,” he said.

The scooter essentially turns a wheel chair into an all terrain vehicle.

"Going on grass or gravel was impossible having to manually push your wheelchair," he explained.

Nabi received a grant from Telemiracle, which helped him purchase it and a new wheelchair about three years ago. The scooter alone is valued at $11,000.

"It’s a really expensive piece of technology that's very much so adapted and customized to the individual ordering it,” he said.

He used it to explore the trails around Saskatoon and for everyday commuting. The scooter is invaluable to Nabi. The Saskatoon Police Service encourages anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

"I get that people make bad choices in life and they are desperate, but snatching someone else’s happiness or freedom is just not the way it is," he said.

Nabi said the process of getting a new one would take months.