2 NEWS story prompts ramp donation

MIAMI TWP., Ohio (WDTN) - We brought you a story on Tuesday about a woman whose wheelchair ramp was stolen from her Miami Township home.

It didn't take long for someone to step up and help out.

"Hi! Hi Annette I'm Joe! Hi, come on in.  It's cold out there."  A warm welcome between strangers brought together by someone else's cold heart.

"I just want to thank you so, so much, oh you're welcome. It's just a wonderful.  It's my pleasure, it helps us our tremendously," said Joe Bundschuh.

Joe's girlfriend, Marita Heyworth, is learning to walk again.

Three years ago, she was nearly killed in an ATV crash.

Marita's been making great strides ever since, but suffered a major setback over the weekend, when someone stole the ramps she needs to get out of her home.

To make matters worse, two days later, Marita fell and broke her leg in multiple places.

We caught up with the couple earlier this week as they made a plea for the suspect's to return the ramps.

"Without them, I have to bump down two steps and I'm not going to walk out there now because I can't put pressure on my legs," said Marita.

Annette Calicoat watched Marita's story on 2 NEWS and instantly thought of the  unused ramps she had sitting her garage.

"They're basically brand new and they've been sitting here wait for the right person and the right person came along," said Annette Calicoat, donated ramps.

So we put Joe and Annette in touch.  Annette's husband even helped stamp the ramps with Joe and Marita's address.

So if the ramps are stolen again, they'll be easily identified.

It was sometime Saturday morning that Joe says the suspects drove up this driveway to the back of their apartments and loaded up the ramps.

To ensure the ramps don't get stolen again, a maintenance worker bolted them into the door frame.

"What an absolute relief.  I mean this is just it's unbelievable and I'm just so thankful for the people in the community to come together and do these kinds of things for other people."

Marita is going to be in a wheelchair for at least two more months and after that, it'll be back to learning to walk all over again.

"It's going to start over from a certain point, but I am going to do it  I know I can do it because I've taken steps without anything, so I know I'm going to walk."

"If it wasn't for you guys coming out and doing this story, if it wasn't for word got out on what happened, we would not be in this position right now and Marita and I  would be in a position where we could not get her in and out, so thank you."