Theft of Costly Fish Costume Is Blow to Fund-Raiser : Hardship: Someone stole the outfit, which had been borrowed for use in a program to benefit disabled boy. If not returned, $850 of the money raised will have to be used to replace it.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — When Wendy Heiner realized “Goldie,” a six-foot tall, bright yellow and orange fish costume, had been stolen last weekend, she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.

Heiner had borrowed Goldie and her male counterpart, “Gus,” from the National Spa and Pool Institute in Tustin to help attract people to a church fund-raiser held to raise money for a specially equipped van for her 9-year-old son, Jeffrey. He was left permanently disabled and without speech after his mother discovered him floating in the back-yard swimming pool when he was 2 1/2.

The event sponsored by Redeemer Lutheran Church of Huntington Beach drew about 1,000 people and raised $2,500 for the van. But unless the costume is returned by Monday, Heiner will have to pay $850 to replace it.

“The theft just made everyone sick,” said Heiner, 36, a Huntington Beach resident with three other children. “It put a damper on the whole rest of the event.”

“It will have to come out of the money we raised. I don’t have the money,” Heiner said. “To be finally on our way financially, and then have someone selfishly steal it, I still can’t believe it.”

The costume was stolen around 3:15 p.m Saturday from the Lucky Food Center parking lot on Edinger Avenue. The teen-agers who had been wearing the costumes became overheated and took them off, briefly leaving them unattended, Heiner said.

“This just hurts because life has been hard enough since Jeffrey’s accident. I fight for everything,” said Heiner, who is divorced. “It’s been really hard.”

The National Spa and Pool Institute, a national nonprofit organization that promotes the pool industry, uses Goldie and Gus to educate youngsters about pool safety.

“Summer is the busiest time of the year for Gus and Goldie,” said Mike Lasher with the National Pool and Spa Institute. “We hope we can get Goldie back.”

Heiner has filed a theft report with the Huntington Beach Police Department, but, as yet, there are no leads.

“If some teen-age kid did take it home, we don’t want to get them into trouble,” she said. “We just want to get it back.”