Three Wheels Meant So Much

Not long ago, Derek Meza had one of the fastest rides on his block. The 13-year-old won most races, leaving his friends in the dust.

But for Derek, who is partially paralyzed, just having the chance to play on his modified red tricycle was enough.

“They’d say, ‘Hey that’s not fair, you have one extra wheel than we do,’ and I’d say, ‘The rules are the rules,’ ” Derek said.

But sometime between April 23 and Saturday, Derek’s beloved trike was stolen from the front porch of his Santa Ana house in the 2400 block of West Moore Avenue, police said.

Derek’s mother, Irma Garcia, said she delayed reporting the theft because she wasn’t sure when the trike went missing and at first thought it might be at a relative’s home.

The $1,200 tricycle is too costly for Derek’s family to replace, said Garcia, a stay-at-home mother of four. Her husband, Daniel Meza, is a mechanic.

She said she was angry someone would do this. “These people that took it obviously don’t have a need for it. That bike was like a part of his life,” said Garcia, 36. “It made him feel ‘normal’ with the other kids. He doesn’t get to go outside now.”

Derek says he wishes he could ride around with his younger sister or practice his wheelies. “I don’t get to hang out. I hope they give it back,” he said.

A car accident 12 years ago left Derek partially paralyzed on his left side and developmentally disabled. Derek can get around on his own, but his tricycle was his key to outdoor fun.

“Until his bike, he didn’t do anything. Now he knows the kids by name,” Garcia said.

The tricycle was donated to Derek about a year ago through the Change a Life Foundation, which provides funding to other nonprofits that in turn support people with disabilities.

It has an extra-wide seat, a right brake lever and a shoe harness on the left side that secures Derek’s foot, while his right foot does the pedaling.

So far, police have no leads or witnesses but have received calls from people wanting to help replace it, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo. He said the police also are helping the family get a new trike.

Garcia says she wants her son to be pedaling soon.

“I just want to be able to offer my kid everything, but there’s so much he can’t do, so the little that he’s able to do, I want it for him,” Garcia said.