Surrey woman with autism rides again — thanks to stranger's kindness
Kayla Polege, 23, lost her scooter to a thief, but a stranger stepped up to replace it
A Surrey woman with autism says her independence has been restored after a kind stranger stepped up to replace her stolen scooter.
Last week, CBC News spoke to Kayla Polege, 23, who suffered a major setback after the scooter she used to get to and from work and appointments was stolen outside the Scott Road Skytrain Station.
"From that interview, I got an angel, and she bought me this beautiful new scooter," said Polege on Wednesday.
Polege bought the electric scooter just a month before the thief struck. Due to her autism, loud, chaotic environments like buses can trigger sensory overload.
"It was very difficult. I'd been having a lot of problems on transit with over-stimulation, and shutting down … having to get off and walk blocks, because I couldn't stay on the bus any longer or having to get taken home by the transit police," said Polege.
She saved up for over a year to buy the scooter, and it turned out to be a game-changer.
Transit police have been investigating the theft, but so far, Polege hasn't heard anything.
But the story has a happy ending.
After seeing Polege's story on CBC News, a complete stranger reached out to her with a generous offer — she wanted to replace the stolen scooter, free of charge.
The woman wishes to remain anonymous, but that hasn't stopped Polege from singing her praises.
"She's amazing. She bought me rain gear for my bike because she wanted to make sure that I stay dry when I drive in the rain. She said that she used to drive a bike, so she gave me some tips for when things get slippery out."
The new scooter is lighter than the old one, said Polege, which has taken some getting used to. It also has more safety features — anti-theft devices and a better gear to help get up hills.
But the best part for Polege is the return of her independence. She had been relying on rides from family members to get around.
"I had one of those slips of paper saying that I had a package waiting for me, and I got to go out this morning by myself to pick up my package this morning," she said. "That was really nice."
Polege said the incident has reminded her that, while there are some bad people in the world, there are also some really good people out there.
With files from Rafferty Baker and Srushti Gangdev