A Washington state man fighting cancer had his car stolen on Tuesday while he was receiving his first round of treatments.
Val Mohney, who lives in Davenport, told KING5 that he was staying with a friend, Kristen Dean, in Columbia City to begin treatment for his prostate cancer.
Around 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, Mahoney received a call from police telling him a vehicle registered in his name had been stolen and found crashed into a fence at a nearby middle school.
"Unfortunately, I started my day off with having my car ripped off and driven through a fence," Mohney told the broadcaster. "I'm just trying to deal with cancer, and now I have to deal with that."
Mohney said the car was seriously damaged and said it looked as thought someone had "taken a grenade to the ignition." It was left abandoned in the school parking lot.
He told KING5 that he works as a real estate agent, so losing his vehicle doesn't just rob him of his daily transportation, it robs him of his livelihood.
"I'm the sole bread winner so if I'm not making money there's no money coming in," he said.
Mohney also cares for his mother, who is living with dementia. He has a partner, but they have a disability which affects how much they can work, according to the broadcaster.
While it seems like storm clouds are following Mohney around, he's said he's focused on the large — and growing — community of supporters who have rallied in his time of need.
"Really, I'm very fortunate because I have a big community of people that love me and I don't know how people that don't do it when stuff like that comes up," he told the broadcaster.
For example, the friend who he had been staying with, Dean, is helping him get to work between treatments.
Seattle police are reviewing surveillance footage to try to identify the person who stole Mohney's car. As of Tuesday, that individual is still at large.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe has been set up to assist Mohney as he continues his treatment.
