Boy's Wheelchair Destroyed In Naperville Fire

Update: A link to a fundraiser for the Jellouli family's neighbors has been added to this article. Their home was also damaged in the fire (5:46 p.m. 3/1/2017).

Naperville Fire Division Chief Amy Scheller said an unattended motorcycle left running in a garage caused an accidental fire that damaged two homes last week, according to the Naperville Sun.

Saeed Jellouli, Souad Mahir and their three children lived in the house where the fire started.

"I am still having trouble believing it really happened," Jellouli told the Naperville Sun. "I am not what you can call a 'strong' person, and this has been devastating to me. We now have lost everything. And by everything, I mean everything."

The loss is complicated by the medical conditions of their youngest son, Jed. The 12-year-old is nonverbal and wheelchair-bound. Jed has frequent seizures, and he is fed through a G-tube.

The fire destroyed Jed's wheelchair, feeding machines and other specialized medical equipment according to Olivia Mayszak, Jed's special education teacher.

"When they left their house, they didn't even have shoes on. They had nothing but the clothes on their back," Mayszak said in a phone interview with Patch.

The loss of Jed's $15,000 custom wheelchair was particularly difficult. "That was his lifeline, that was his only way to get around," Mayszak said.

After meeting with the Jellouli family, Mayszak said she was surprised that they only asked for help in getting supplies for Jed.

"They didn't want anything for themselves, they wanted just the basic necessities for Jed to be able to function," Mayszak said. "They don't want to be a burden on anyone else."

The manufacturer of the wheelchair has offered to help the family with a replacement.

An online fundraiser that Mayszak set up for the Jellouli Family has raised nearly $28,000 in the past week.

Another fundraiser is collecting funds for the Jellouli family's neighbors, who lost most of their belongings in the fire according to their GoFundMe page.

Image via Shutterstock