Woman whose plants were stolen 'overwhelmed' by response after leaving note for thief

A Charlottetown woman with Stage 4 lung cancer says she is overwhelmed with the outpouring of support she received after her beloved plants and ornamental angels were stolen from her property Monday.

A steady stream of people have been stopping by Rose Anne Shepard's home with everything from hanging baskets to tomato plants ever since she put up a sign on her house asking whoever stole her plants to "please put them back" because she could not afford to replace them.

"I was overwhelmed with how thoughtful people are," she said. "They were coming, like constantly coming…. A couple of times I was trying to hold back tears. It was so sentimental, like people doing that. It's unreal. It's hard to explain how I felt, but it was good."

It was a contrast to how she felt on Monday when she went outside to enjoy her flowers and plants only to see they weren't there. Shepard said she hopes the sign will make people think twice before stealing not just her plants, but anybody's.

"It was heartbreaking because ... I couldn't replace them and it never happened to me before. Why now? Why now? And I just want to let people know that I am a very sick person and I have to look after myself. So whoever took them, you know, shouldn't have. But they did. But anyways, people on P.E.I. came together."

Shepard said not only did people drop off plants, they planted them for her as well. And while her hip feels a little sore these days, her spirits have been healed. She can once again sit in her yard with her pets and enjoy her plants.

"I thank yas all from the bottom of my heart," she said. "The positive vibes that I got from people ... that was really good too, that helped quite a bit. The vibes was unreal."

More from CBC P.E.I.