Q13 News viewer donates scooter after thief steals Seattle liver transplant patient's wheels

SEATTLE - After thieves stole Paul Hamilton’s scooter from outside his Beacon Hill home, he was just hoping they would return it when they heard his story.

Hamilton is on the list for a liver transplant and that scooter was his only form of transportation to the hospital.

“You have to stay on the list, Hamilton said. "You can`t miss any of those appointments or you could be kicked off the transplant list. If they call you with the new liver you have to be there within 20 to 30 minutes because that`s how long that liver will last.” 

Tacoma’s Leon Carter understands exactly what Hamilton is going through.

He lost his grandmother to liver problems.

“I felt that I can help somebody rather than watch them hurt,” said Carter.

He was so touched by Hamilton’s story when he saw it on Q13 News Friday night that he donated a scooter to him today.

“I don`t care what we gotta do. We gotta make sure this guy gets to his doctor`s appointments,” said Carter.

Hamilton was almost speechless when he heard the news. “I got a lump in my throat. I got a tear in my eye. I was like, are you serious?” he said.

The scooter donated by Carter is more powerful than the one stolen from Hamilton.

“Coming up this hill that I live on, it was a crawl but now, this thing is gonna eat up hills,” said Hamilton.

Carter is a member of a scooter club which is part of a huge family riders in Western Washington. They are now offering Hamilton a spot too under one condition.

“He can pay me back by getting to his doctor`s appointments and making sure that he gets better,” said Carter. That’s a deal Hamilton is happy to keep.

“I`m elated. Vroom Vroom,” he said laughingly from the back of his new life saving transportation.

The scooter that was stolen is a black and silver 50 CC Icebear with License plate 7D6890. Call Seattle Police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS if you know where it is or who took it.