Man, 20, Has $8,000 Prosthetic Leg Stolen from His Car After Cancer Diagnosis: ‘Can’t Catch a Break’

A man who was diagnosed with bone cancer as a teenager had his prosthetic leg, valued at $8,000, stolen out of the trunk of his car in Portland earlier this month.

According to Oregon Crime Stoppers, NBC News and affiliate station KGW 8, Atticus Root was out for dinner with some friends in downtown Portland on Dec. 8 when he decided to change out his usual prosthetic left leg for his spare, placing his custom one in the trunk of his car, along with some tools for his job in welding.

When he came back from dinner, his tools were gone — along with his prosthetic leg, which he has used since he was 14 years old, when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that occurs in kids and young adults, according to NBC. The cancer was located in his left femur bone and forced him to amputate his whole leg, resulting in him relearning to walk, work and live with his custom-made prosthetic.

Root’s uncle, Joshua Veldstra, described the theft to NBC on Dec. 20 as a “‘he just can’t catch a break’ kind of situation.”

“He seems to have a pretty good attitude, or at least he’s trying to maintain a good attitude about what happened. But it’s a horrible thing.” Veldstra added to NBC. “I mean, who steals a prosthetic leg?”

According to Root’s uncle, the leg is valued at around $8,000 by Oregon Crime Stoppers, although the organization states that “its true value cannot be measured in dollars as it provides great assistance to a 20-year-old Portland man who lost his leg to a bone cancer.”

Vestra told the outlet that it helped his nephew relearn how to exercise, and it was more comfortable than any other prosthetic he had ever used. It also had a bendable knee and blade for running.

“It was custom-made to fit his body,” he said, noting that his spare wasn’t as comfortable. “It was made just for him.”

“It’s super important for his work too, because he didn’t have to use crutches and was able to use both hands,” his uncle added. “But now everything is harder again.”

Root’s mother, Irene Veldstra, turned to her local and online community for help in the wake of the theft, starting a GoFundMe page to raise the $8,000 needed to purchase a new leg.

“It’s been a rough month then, this, I am fully aware life sucks, but Atticus was just beginning to feel better and get back on his ‘feet,’ he doesn’t deserve this,” she wrote on the fundraising page, noting that because it was custom-made, the prosthetic had no serial number.

“… [Prosthetics] are all custom made to the patient, plus the prosthetist who understands all the science of the body and building the leg. Things I’ve learned – legs are complicated,” she added.

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As of Saturday, Dec. 21, the fundraiser was closed and had garnered nearly $12,000 in donations.

“The family is very relieved and so grateful to everyone who has donated,” Veldstra told NBC in a text message, adding that it still could be several months before the new leg can be built.

An officer with the Portland Police Bureau told PEOPLE in a statement that the case is still under investigation, and refuse organizations are on the lookout in case the leg was thrown in the trash.

Oregon Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,500 reward to anyone who can share information or an anonymous tip leading to the return of the prosthetic.