Thief stole from terminally ill child on Make-A-Wish trip

OCALA, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A terminally ill child from Ocala, Florida had all of his belongings stolen while he was on his Make-A-Wish trip.

Oliver De Borde and family just got back from the vacation of a lifetime. They traveled to Tennessee for a Make-A-Wish trip.

"Enjoyed our trip for a whole week," Oliver's father Justin De Borde said. "On the way back, stopped in Macon, Georgia. About four hours from here and went to bed and then woke up the next morning. Everything was gone."

Someone broke into the family's minivan while they were staying overnight at a hotel. They stole many of the families belongings, including Oliver's baby clothes.

"All of our souvenirs, our double stroller, all of our bags, our clothes we packed," Justin De Borde said.

"We pack heavy because the last time we went on a trip Oliver spent almost a month in the hospital."

Oliver is two year old. He was born with a birth defect that caused him to only develop half of his heart.
His condition is terminal. Oliver's doctors didn't think he'd live to see his first birthday. The Make-A-Wish trip was something the family wanted to scratch off of Oliver's bucket list.

"For something like that to happen to us on a trip specifically made for us to make as many memories as possible, it hurt, but we grow from it," Justin De Borde said.

The family doesn't know how much more time they'll get with Oliver. So, they cherish every moment they have with him. The clothes that were stolen have special meaning to the family.

"For example, maybe he wore an outfit for the fourth of July," Oliver's mother Beth Stimson said. "I remember that outfit for the rest of my life. I have photos of him in it. So, a lot of his clothes have more sentimental value."

They've started a Go Fund Me account to help them replace the items that were taken. While the family is saddened by what happened to them on their trip, they rely on their optimism and perseverance to get them through.

"It could've been a lot worse," Stimson said. "They could've taken the whole vehicle. Or they could've taken us if we were in the vehicle."