A 10-year-old San Diego girl had her wheelchair stolen from her while her family was staying at a Mission Beach vacation rental for a birthday celebration.

When Peggy Dermody and her daughter Claire were unloading the car at the rental Friday night they noticed her wheelchair and hand cycle were missing.

Without the wheelchair, her mother said, Claire is limited in what she can do. She can walk short distances with braces or crutches, but needs a wheelchair for longer distances.

“I am just so disgusted that someone would steal these items of all things, when they are obviously necessary mobility items that are only valuable to a very small population,” Dermody said. “It’s like stealing someone's legs.”

She recently outgrew the wheelchair she has used since she was four, and has been borrowing a friend’s until she gets a new one.

“Listening to her crying that she can't go on the bike ride or walk along the boardwalk with her sisters just makes me angry. If they had taken any of the other bikes we could rent a replacement for the weekend at many different places,” Dermody explained.

They have filled out a police report.