Albuquerque woman stuck in California after specialized RV was stolen

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Life after retirement meant a lot of time for an Albuquerque woman to spend traveling. The issue for her, though, was her rheumatoid arthritis.

“I really really just wanted to get out and see family and friends because I can no longer just drive for many hours to go see somebody,” Jill Silverthorne said. “After three or four hours, I have to lay down, and I can’t just get a hotel room every time to lay down.”

An RV was the way for Jill to safely and comfortably travel. Finally, after years of searching and saving money, she found one that fit in Washington that fit her.

The RV is handicap-accessible with several adaptations, including a wheelchair lift. The lift is a necessity since she primarily gets around with her electric wheelchair.

“I mean, It was just lovely and so all aboard!” Jill remarked.

She started her journey, heading south of Washington, stopping Portland, Oregon, then weathering a snowstorm, until she arrived in Los Angeles. While there, she stayed with a friend and parked the RV outside their home.

Then, on Christmas Day, the RV was gone.

“What you saved for, for so long, and so perfect, is gone and my wheelchair was inside.”

Jill also said her medication, clothes and other belongings were all inside the stolen RV. Now, she relies on a walker to get around. She says this is a huge loss and replacing that is going to be a hard and expensive process.

“Is this the new normal? That you can’t own anything anymore without it being in jeopardy of theft?”

L.A. was supposed to be the last stop on her journey. However, she doesn’t want to come back, in hopes of her RV being returned to her.

Meanwhile, her family has created a GoFundMe page. They hope to help Jill replace some of her belongings and make her dream come true.

You can visit the GoFundMe page by clicking this link. Hear from Jill in the video above.