Heartless thieves steal $3,000 raised to pay for dying baby’s life-saving heart transplant on Valentine’s Day

Police in Orlando, Florida, are on the hunt for the callous criminals who stole $3,000 in cash donated for a little girl in desperate need of a heart transplant.

Rodger Anderson says that his nine-month-old granddaughter, Jaelyn, has a heart so large that it collapsed her right lung, destroying the muscle tissue inside her chest.

While waiting for a new heart, the family of the precious little girl have racked up massive bills for her medical expenses.

Heartless crime: Thieves stole $3,000 meant to help the parents of ailing Jaelyn Anderson with her medical bills

Good Samaritans: Jaelyn's grandfather, Rodger Anderson, pictured left and right, mobilized his co-workers at JetBlue to raise money for the little girl



In a bid to help Jaelyn's parents, Brooke and Joshua Anderson, of St Petersburg, with the mounting costs of her care, the toddler’s grandfather, who works for JetBlue, mobilized his co-workers and raised about $10,000 in cash.

According to Anderson's colleague James Can Cleave, several JetBlue employees traveled to South Florida to collect a portion of the donations totaling $3,000.

But while they were having lunch in Orlando, someone broke into their van and stole the badly needed cash, along with their wallets, ID cards and luggage.

Jaelyn's grandfather said the heartless theft, which ironically happened on Valentine’s Day, has left him devastated. His co-worker Van Cleave said it was gut-wrenching to find out that the donations were stolen.

Diagnosis: At six months, the child was rushed to the ER where doctors discovered that she has a virus called myocarditis that caused her heart to expand



Precious patient: The sunny nine-month-old girl has been living at All Children's Hospital while waiting for a heart match

'It's a 10-month-old little girl that needs a transplant and it's her future,' he told MyFox Orlando. 'Without this help and support it's such a big burden on the family.'

According to a Facebook page set up by the Anderson family to raise funds for Jaelyn, last October, the toddler was rushed to an emergency room after experiencing trouble breathing.

At the hospital, doctors have discovered that Jaelyn was suffering from a potentially deadly virus called myocarditis, which has been causing her heart to expand.



Jaelyn was placed on a wait list for a heart transplant on November 1, 2012, but because the tissue in her heart is so rare, the family were told that it would take a long time to find the right match.



The smiling, rambunctious toddler has been living at All Children's Hospital since receiving the devastating diagnosis. The medical bills have been piling up, straining her parents' finances to the breaking point.



Complications: The toddler's enormous heart has caused Jaelyn's right lung to collapse, and doctors say her rare heart tissue could mean a long wait for the perfect match



Jaelyn's mother, Brooke, was forced to quit her job so that her daughter would not be left alone in the hospital. She told ABC Action News said the $3,000 would have gone a long way.



'She brings joy to everybody. She's so sick and she acts like nothing is wrong with her. I am amazed,' Mrs Anderson told 13News .