The theft of a kitty intended to improve the state of health of a 6-year-old boy sparked outrage in the town of Gonesse, in the Val d’Oise, as well as on the Internet.
A small convenience store in Gonesse, in the Val-d’Oise, had installed a piggy bank on its counter to help little Tylian, 6, who has cerebral palsy which causes him spastic tetraparesis, that is to say say permanent cramps. Born prematurely at 7 months, his leg muscles do not work properly, forcing him to use a walker and a wheelchair.
In the long term, the little boy could completely lose the use of his legs if he does not undergo three very expensive operations in Germany shortly. A trip which has a significant cost and which has motivated the small business to arouse the generosity of its customers.
A robbery at checkout
But on March 2, a man stole this kitty. The CCTV footage broadcast by the manager on Facebook shows him arriving at the checkout with his items and discovering the kitty on the counter. He begins by subtly underweighing it, no doubt hears money inside, looks around, hesitates, tries a few times, then quickly hides it under his coat before casually paying for his items.
More than 24,000 euros raised online
The scene, seen more than a million times on the Internet, aroused the indignation of Internet users and the inhabitants of Gonesse. “Anger, frustration, nervousness, describes the manager of the business facing the camera of France 3. We didn’t just steal a simple article on a display, we stole the money of this child, the store, the parents, the association and all the customers who put money from the box”.
According to Tylian’s parents, these three operations are necessary so that their son can one day walk and suffer less. “That’s what we hope,” they explain. To finance these interventions and accommodation on site, they need to raise 50,000 euros. The piggy bank was placed back on the counter of this convenience store and surprise, a online kitty raised more than 24,000 euros in 5 days. 920 people have already taken part. At the time of writing these lines, there are 49 days left to participate.
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