The mother of a youngster whose toys were stolen days before he had gruelling medical treatment has been left “overwhelmed” by the support of Press and Journal readers.
Three-year-old Leon Gough’s mum Sharon Mitchell bought him a selection of Playmobil figures as he got ready to travel to Birmingham for a series of tests and check-ups.
But they were snatched from his pram as the family were having their lunch at a cafe.
Leon was born with a rare defect in his skull and had major surgery to relieve pressure on his brain when he was just months-old.
The theft of his toys left the youngster heartbroken and his mum and father John distraught.
But the family have been amazed by the response since the incident was reported by the Press and Journal.
His mother said last night: “This week has taught me just how far things can spread.
“I had everything planned to ease him into the fact that he was going to hospital, and it was like it was totally destroyed by just how distressed he got.
“It’s tough enough when you’ve got added pressures, but to actually feel helpless when you’re holding him is something else.
“You can’t tell them where the toys are, you can’t promise to replace them, and he’s just crying. I don’t want to have to explain to him that sometimes bad people do things.
“But when he saw himself in the paper, and I explained to him that it was because people were going to help look for his missing toys, I saw the change in him. We’ve only once been asked since where they are.”
Members of public have been stopping Ms Mitchell in the street to offer their support.
And Press and Journal readers have taken it upon themselves to deliver brand new sets of Playmobil figures and sets to Leon.
As he played with his new gifts at the family home in Fraserburgh yesterday, Ms Mitchell explained that the outpouring of generosity had “really helped” with the healing process.
She said: “It was such a small thing, really, to be taken in the grand scheme of things, but I have definitely been helped with all the offers of help.”
Doctors are confident that Leon’s craniosynostosis has not presented any complications yet, but he will need to be continually checked until his teenage years when his skull stops developing.
The rare condition can cause headaches and difficulties with breathing and hearing.
Doctors have also diagnosed the youngster as autistic, something Ms Mitchell says she is still coming to terms with.
She had previously believed his behaviour around strangers – being unable to communicate or running away – had been the result of previous visits to hospital.
She said: “I had always been working on the assumption that it would get better, but I’m looking at things now and it makes sense.
“It’s all still new to me, so I don’t know who I’ll have to see for support at school or things like that. We don’t know where on the spectrum he is, but doctors have said it is mild.
“I’ve had one weight put on, but another taken off. It’s not easy, we’re just trying to do the right thing for him. I just want his childhood to be as happy and, maybe, as sheltered as I can make it.”
The family, who were given three new sets of toys for the youngster last night, have now requested that anyone thinking of buying something for Leon instead donate it to a hospital waiting room.
Ms Mitchell said: “I’d like to buy a hospital a whole new wing, but many of us as individuals can’t do that.
“A toy or colouring books might be something small to us, but it’s big for them.”