Thieves steal 7-year-old cancer patient's PSP the day before his birthday
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Mar 30th 2008 at 2:30PM }
If you're looking for a news story to restore your faith in mankind, this ain't it -- while en route to a monthly chemotherapy treatment for a brain tumor (the day before his birthday, no less), 7-year-old Kyle Springs and his family stopped in Dallas for a Denny's breakfast. As they left the building, with unassuming bellies full of Moons Over My Hammies, they discovered their car had been burglarized, and that thieves had absconded with Kyle's backpack, medical records, medication, and PSP.
The only uplifting facet of this otherwise soul-shattering tale is the fact that the Dallas police department had raised over $1,000 for Kyle within two and a half hours, replacing the PSP and games that he had lost in the parking lot heist. Unfortunately, the nefarious gentlemen who made off with the young man's handheld have yet to be brought to justice -- what kind of sentence do they assign people who steal adolescent cancer patient's portable electronics the day before their birthdays, anyways? Does Texas allow "jettisoning from an airlock into the infinite twilight of space" as an acceptable punishment?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Curmeo @ Mar 30th 2008 2:35PM
50 Cent should hunt down these thieves in the story line instead.
Gilbert Tang @ Mar 30th 2008 2:40PM
Really? I was thinking more R. Kelly.
Howl Pendragon @ Mar 30th 2008 3:01PM
With all the crazy fanboy stuff in the other post this post definetley deserves a [+].
NES FANBOY (Yes my console is better than yours) @ Mar 30th 2008 3:12PM
No how about Snoop dogg
Yo Curmeo nice avatar I'll like to see that fight
360:FINISH HIM!! Xbox360 does RROD FATALITY Xbox wins FLAWLESS VICTORY?
PS3:FINISH HIM!! PS3 with the power of the cell? FATALITY PS3 wins FLAWLESS VICTORY
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 30th 2008 3:15PM
Yeah... last boss would be the Wii... but I doubt that both PS3 and 360 will reach the Wii.
=p
Howl Pendragon @ Mar 30th 2008 3:17PM
hey guys i heard that when you fight "Wii" as "2 gamecubes duct taped together" its always a tie!
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Mar 30th 2008 3:24PM
Urg, that duct tape joke should just die out with all the old memes. People keep trotting it out: it's madness.
Cesaria (SSBB: 3136-6466-5083) @ Mar 30th 2008 3:53PM
Madness? THIS..IS..SPARTA! See what I did there?
Mr.ESC @ Mar 30th 2008 4:30PM
“360:FINISH HIM!! Xbox360 does RROD FATALITY Xbox wins FLAWLESS VICTORY?”
Wait wouldn’t that be a Hara-kiri (Seppuku)?
Anyway that game is awesome I heard you can fight the Phantom if you enter a code during the Portal stage.
mikezila @ Mar 30th 2008 2:36PM
Well, it is Texas. I'm sure airlock justice can be arranged.
Griffin McElroy @ Mar 30th 2008 2:41PM
"Airlock Justice" is now the name of my group on Rock Band.
You have my gratitude, Mikezilla.
LesbianHam @ Mar 30th 2008 2:37PM
But you can't buy back save games!
DangerMouse @ Mar 30th 2008 2:46PM
And he probably has to re-hack the firmware again to make it a functional gaming system.
MasterInsan0 @ Mar 31st 2008 7:17PM
Zing!
But seriously, PSP has good games now. The whole "lawl it's only good for hacking" thing is pretty much over.
Gilbert Tang @ Mar 30th 2008 2:39PM
"Thieves Steal Cancer Patient's PSP Day Before 7th Birthday, Day After Dog Shot; Chemo Success Rides On Games, Dog; Parents Absent". Now THAT'S a headline.
Seriously though, a real bummer of an article. Which is not to say I'm not for its purpose--which at first I thought was a call to arms, only to realize Dallas' Finest already whooped our collective asses.
The plural of "ass," "asses," by the way, is hilarious.
ChuckD @ Mar 30th 2008 2:52PM
You shouldn't assume that the perpetrators were gentlemen. They could be fancy lads, or poofs, or members of the bourgeoisie.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Mar 30th 2008 3:00PM
I'm willing to bet Travis Trent fans... but that's just me.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 31st 2008 11:56AM
They could also have been bonnie lasses.
Korova @ Mar 30th 2008 2:57PM
Terrible. What is our society coming to when the criminals dont know their victims (cause I cant believe a criminal who knew this kid would rob him).
Unless the family made up this story, then what is our society coming to that families have to resort to shenanigans to raise money for their child's medical expenses.
Unless the internet is a lie, then what is our society coming to that all we do is react emotionally to a story we read without any impetus to confirm its reality.
*jumps under train
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Mar 30th 2008 3:04PM
But there's a seven year old...with cancer...going to chemo...on the day before his birthday...and his psp was stolen.
It's too impossibly true.
OM @ Mar 30th 2008 3:58PM
How DARE those criminals not know he was a cancer patient! They should have robbed the car next to his instead.
I kinda feel bad for all the healthy kids that get things stolen from then and can't get them replaced.
Synner @ Mar 30th 2008 5:28PM
I know right, you know the little prick is getting one of those free make a wish trips anyway. GOD, dying kids get everything.
Howl Pendragon @ Mar 30th 2008 3:00PM
Knowing how nice Sony is to thier customers I am 100% sure they will send him a brand new PSP.
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 30th 2008 3:03PM
They should :)
caramelzappa @ Mar 30th 2008 4:26PM
My sarcasm detector is off the charts.
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 30th 2008 4:41PM
Theyv'e done it before for a mugged little boy here, dunno why they can't in America.
Synner @ Mar 30th 2008 5:30PM
Caramelzappa,
no douchdragon wasn't being sarcastic, he is that firmly clamped to sony's nuts.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Mar 30th 2008 3:01PM
I couldn't get Mongolian Chop Squad registered in time, so I had to go all emo with Empty Scars. Well, I didn't name it, a friend did. I need to start a new one soon though.
Deck @ Mar 30th 2008 3:02PM
*Sigh* Our society is so screwed up. I hope to god that they catch the bastard that did this and really make him pay.
This is just dispicable. The "Airlock Justice" sounds about right!
Daniel @ Mar 30th 2008 3:06PM
If the perpetrators didn't know the victims, then should they face a steeper punishment?
What if they had stolen a PSP from a wealthy, healthy kid? Why should the penalty be any different? Stealing is stealing.
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 30th 2008 3:04PM
Sick people, really sick, I sometimes wonder what goes on in the heads of these guys.
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 30th 2008 3:05PM
I wonder the with Sony fanboys =p
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 30th 2008 3:05PM
*same
Damn... now I'm going to get voted down to oblivion.
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Mar 30th 2008 3:07PM
I don't see where the word same goes Fernando.
Your comment looks liquored up, not that it's a bad thing.
Howl Pendragon @ Mar 30th 2008 3:12PM
Its supposed to be "I wonder the same with Sony fanboys"
But it should be: "I wonder the same with all fanboys"
WinterTiger @ Mar 30th 2008 3:14PM
He wonders what goes on in the minds of Sony fanboys I believe. I agree with Maverick totally, you've gotta go pretty low to bust into a car and steal MEDICAL RECORDS... The crooks didn't know this kid for sure, but still. Disgusting.
The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Mar 30th 2008 3:18PM
I didn't know Fernando trolled both Sony and Cancer.
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 30th 2008 3:26PM
I'm not trolling cancer... It's an horrible situation... I have been in similar situations (not myself, but people in my family).
Howl Pendragon @ Mar 30th 2008 3:37PM
Honestly Fernando your pathetic. This post is about a cancer patient who gets his PSP stolen and you have to go and troll about Sony fanboys!?!
Your an embarrassment for all fanboys Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo alike.
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 30th 2008 3:39PM
And why, oh why am I the only one attacked?
Check earlier posts in this thread... other people are making jokes too, and I'm the only one attacked.
Howl Pendragon @ Mar 30th 2008 3:42PM
Fernando don't act like a little bitch your the only one trolling about Sony here...
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 30th 2008 3:56PM
Usually despite your biasedness against Sony Fernando, I find you comments humourous, but this time around it wasn't called for, cancer and stealing are two things that are sickening, whether it was DS, PSP or even a Neo Geo pocket, what the thief did was bang out of order, that has nothing to do with who is a fanboy of who, when it comes to this kind of thing, fanboys should be united, not squabbling.
Are you to tell me that you hate Sony so much that if you saw a person with a PS3 about to get stabbed, you'd ignore it and walk off without at least calling the police? I think not, so lets avoid the tasteless bickering consolewise, at least for this article, when another neutral PS 3/P article comes along, you are within your rights to go ahead and critisize PS3 with your opinions.
Fernando Rocker @ Mar 30th 2008 4:02PM
Look, Maverick, everyone...
I'm sorry, I did a stupid little joke in the wrong thread. I'm not making fun of cancer... I know how horrible is that situation.
And of course, I will not ignore a person if they have a PS3... heck, eventually I will get a PS3, possible in my birthday next month.
It was a joke, very off topic, a joke to your comment Maverick.
Im sorry for this one. Honestly.
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 30th 2008 4:09PM
Apology accepted, I just dont think crimes like this should be accepted, regardless of the circumstances.
I would hate if that person was my sibling and they were either killed for thier DS or robbed like this while already suffering knowing that whatever console it was could have helped offer them a bit of happiness.
And what is the robber gonna use for the PSP for? Selling? Most likely. Funny enough, we say this, but the very robber could be on e-bay now selling it off.
DangerMouse @ Mar 30th 2008 4:15PM
"I find you comments humourous, but this time around it wasn't called for, cancer and stealing are two things that are sickening, whether it was DS, PSP or even a Neo Geo pocket"
NeoGeo Pocket? Come on now, that's pushing it.
Mr.ESC @ Mar 30th 2008 4:36PM
Neo-Geo pocket.That was a cool name for a handheld.
Synner @ Mar 30th 2008 5:37PM
Wow, I didn't realize that maverick was the internet hall monitor.
Well, I guess I apologize about my make a wish joke too, I wouldn't want to offend anyone in the weepy fucking knitting circle on joystiq,
and fernando, don't feel bad, your anti-sony trolling and pendragon's sony suckofffest even each other out.
But seriously, who fucking cares that the kid has cancer? I had cancer, when someone vandalized my vehicle did it make it a more horrible crime whether I had cancer or not at the time?
Crime is crime. the disposition of the victim makes no bearing on the punishment deserved.
too bad the kid has cancer, but anyone else who gets their shit broke or stolen gets a "we'll look into it" not a $1000 prize from the cops.
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 30th 2008 6:29PM
Synner, are you on a rampage or something? Someone upset you?
Whether the kid had cancer or not is not the issue here, we already know the kid has cancer, all you've done is repeat what I already know, its the fact they stole from him, stealing, whether its from a kid with cancer or from me without cancer is wrong, it just happens to be worse when it involves murder, its just lucky this one didn't.
I'm sorry you had cancer, I've had folks die of it too, but don't you sometimes think there are more important things in life then virtual gaming?
Synner @ Mar 30th 2008 6:46PM
My point is, why is everyone getting all in an uproar over this?
This kid having cancer has no bearing on the crime, yet everyone here wants to hang em up!!! those bastards!!!
Like people were stalking cancer patients to steal from.
Directly to the point then: This is a non-story, the kid made out with $1000 that any other crime victim wouldn't have gotten, in fact anyone else would have been lucky to see an officer after filling out a police report.
It is sensationalist shit meant to get exactly the reaction from all the tards here on joystiq that it produced, ie "THEY NEEDZ TO BURNZ IN TEH HELLZ"!!
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 30th 2008 6:57PM
I think maybe its because you picture yourself or a family member in the same situation, and it does get to you.
Espescially when it means the worse, a family member is stabbed for thier phone or money.
The cancer is irrelevant (not necessarily, but in context), the PSP is also irrelevant, there would have been an uproar still if it had been anyhing else.
Its not what they stole, its the actions of stealing, I am angered towards anyone who does it, or kills someone to do it, whether its a murder case or the vandalism of your vehicle, the people responsible for causing deliberate damage to your vehicle are just as bad as the people who stole this PSP, same thing.