Christine Aylward's 2009 Chevrolet Uplander van was stolen from the back lane of her home in Winnipeg's North End Sunday afternoon. But that's not what most upsets her.

Aylward has a young ward, 11-year-old Romeo Nakoolak, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta — commonly known as brittle bone disease — and he relies on a custom-made wheelchair that was inside the stolen van.

"When he has good days, he's able to walk from the van to the house. That's the reason why the wheelchair was in the van," said Theresa Karlik, Aylward's daughter, whom Nakoolak calls his older sister.

"To strengthen his bones, we've been trying to get him to walk little distances, so we try not to use the wheelchair in the house."

Karlik told CBC Radio's Up To Speed host Ismaila Alfa they realized the van was stolen when they were about to run an errand.

Romeo Nakoolak's wheelchair was in the van because the family is trying to help him strengthen his bones by walking short distances, like the distance from the van to his house. (Submitted by Christine Aylward)

"Mom was like, 'Did I go anywhere? What did I do? Am I losing my mind?'" she said, adding that the family assured Aylward she did not go anywhere.

"We don't have any friends or family here in the city, so it's not like we lent it out. It was just a shock."

Brittle bone disease is a genetic disorder that make a person's bones fragile, allowing them to break easily. It affects about one in every 20,000 people, and cases range from mild to severe.

Nakoolak, however, suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta Type 6, which Karlik says is rare.

"He was diagnosed late on. He was about four, when he started getting a limp one day," she said, adding that, at the time, the family lived in Nunavut and doctors there could not find the issue.

"Sure enough, about nine months later, there was a cyst in his femur bone and it just snapped."

Since then, the boy has frequently broken his femurs and now has metal rods inserted in his legs to keep the bone in place if it breaks.

Nakoolak's wheelchair, right, was specially made so it can be adjusted as he grows. The chair is bright red and has no arm or leg rests. It cost more than $3,000, said Theresa Karlik. (Submitted by Christine Aylward)

His wheelchair was specially made, so it can be adjusted to Nakoolak's size as he grows. The chair is bright red and has no arm or leg rests because the boy can propel himself with his arms and feet, Karlik said, adding that it took between six and eight weeks to arrive and cost more than $3,000.

"We use it every day and it's fitted to what we need," she said, citing that it's easy to fold, lightweight and portable.

"It allows him to be independent and move around his classroom ... in a safe manner where nobody can bump into him and cause him to trip up and hurt himself."

There is a backup wheelchair Nakoolak can use, but it's bigger and bulkier than what he needs, and he's not strong enough to propel himself in it.

The family is waiting to hear back about what they can do to find a better replacement, Karlik said.

This is not the first wheelchair to have been stolen since moving to Winnipeg; according to Karlik, when the family first moved here, they washed the chair in the spring and left it on their front porch to dry during the day. Someone took it.