Single father “prepared to take out a loan” after porch pirate stole 4-year-old son’s kidney medication

Authored by nbc15.com and submitted by FeelingFelixFelicis
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A little boy is without his life-saving medication after someone stole a package off a family's porch in Riverdale, Utah. The 3-month supply of medicine for the 4-year-old’s kidney costs around $5,000. It was swiped from the family's porch exactly a week before Christmas -- leaving the single dad worried about how to replace it in time for his son.

Cody Taylor said he’s had medication delivered to his door for years, and never had a problem until recently -- when their most expensive and arguably most important medication was stolen.

Taylor's son Austin is a little boy with a big heart.

“He’s my little miracle. He's my hero. Because of everything he's gone through, I can't complain about life,” Cody Taylor said.

Austin was born with several severe birth defects. Doctors weren't sure he'd survive.

“They gave him a 25 percent chance of living 3 months,” Cody Taylor said.

“He's so strong and always fighting,” Cody Taylor said.

After struggling with Stage 5 kidney failure since he was born, Austin received a kidney transplant 2 years ago.

“It was a huge relief because we knew he wasn't in kidney failure anymore and that upped his life expectancy and health by so much,” Cody Taylor said.

Because of the transplant, Austin takes medicine so his body doesn't reject the kidney. Cody Taylor got a notification this week that a new dose was delivered.

“Usually as I get that, I expect to see the boxes as I pull up, but there was nothing there," Cody Taylor said.

After looking into it, he realized the package was stolen. Cody Taylor said he worried his insurance wouldn't cover the costs of replacing it and he knew his small family couldn't afford the $5,000 price tag.

“Luckily my SUV is paid off. I was prepared to take out a loan and pay for the medication outright,” Cody Taylor said.

Thankfully, after days of working with the insurance, he got it covered. While he said he's frustrated with the package thief, he said he's overwhelmed with support from the community.

“We have gotten so much love and so much support that I just couldn't believe it,” Cody Taylor said.

He said he has this message for the person who stole his son’s medication.

“You don't know who you're hurting by your actions. It could range from ruining someone’s Christmas to threatening someone's life. You just never know,” Cody Taylor said.

A company called “The Porch Locker” donated a lock box for Austin’s medication to be delivered to moving forward.

tehmlem on December 22nd, 2017 at 15:52 UTC »

I take a monthly injection. I'm terrified this is gonna happen, especially during the holidays. It's not like it would kill me, but it may well prevent me from taking the medication in the future as the cost of replacing it that month would be exorbitantly high (non-refundable once it leaves the distribution center) and you can build a tolerance to the medication if you skip doses.

Edit: For those curious, the medication in question is a biologic drug which means the immune system can learn to recognize and fight back against it. This might entail a diminished impact or an allergic reaction. A steady dose apparently helps to prevent this from happening. The recommendation is that I take it within 24 hours of the 21 day mark (doses every 3 weeks).

The delivery is further complicated by the need to keep the medication refrigerated (but never frozen). I'd also like to clarify that, while I worry a lot about this, I've also taken many steps to ensure that it doesn't happen and explored quite a few others.

AllwaysHard on December 22nd, 2017 at 15:28 UTC »

Porch thieves underestimate the stupid shit I buy online

Headhunt23 on December 22nd, 2017 at 14:30 UTC »

TL;DR - the insurance company ended up getting another medication delivery and another company donated a porch locker to stop future porch pirates.