ROWLETT, Texas — Jodi Mason waited 25 years for her handicap-accessible van.
She was paralyzed in 1993 in a car accident in Dallas. She and her family were finally able to afford an accessible van in September.
“That van gave me so much freedom,” said Mason. “It meant everything. I was able to be a part of the family.”
Mason uses a wheelchair, and her family said it was difficult for her to get around for years without the van.
“It gave us a sense of freedom and independence that we haven’t known since the 1990s,” said Ashley Mansfield, Mason's daughter.
The family moved from Fort Worth to Rowlett on June 23. Within hours, someone stole their van while the family slept.
The suspect crashed the van into a house about two miles away on Bob White Drive.
The van, which only had 12,000 miles on it, was totaled.
“My whole life had been taken in one night,” Mason said.
The family says they were exhausted from moving all day. They can’t remember if the van was locked or unlocked overnight.
“It’s been so difficult to get her from place to place over the years,” said Mason's daughter, Courtney, of the van. “This was absolutely life-changing.”
Mason says she doesn't understand the "senseless act."
"It didn't serve any purpose. It just took our lives away," she said.
The homeowner was not injured. He called 911 shortly after the crash.
On Thursday, the homeowner was in the process of moving out of the damaged house.
“With every choice you make, it affects somebody,” Mason said.
The loss of the van is still affecting Mason. Her mother's funeral is this weekend. Her daughters have tried to find an accessible van to rent but have had no luck for the holiday weekend.
Now Mason cannot attend her mother's funeral.
“Having wheels, having a way to go is so freeing. You can’t describe it: The freedom that you have once you have [a van] like that. It’s just been devastating," she said.
No one has been arrested in the van theft. If anyone has information on the suspect, contact Rowlett police at 972-412-6200.
Mason and her family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a new handicap accessible van.