Thieves Steal Ailing Child's Medicine, Teddy Bear

Eric Antos

Police are searching for thieves who broke into a Long Island home and ransacked it of thousands in cash, jewelery and other items. But the perps who manhandled the house of the Antos family were no average burglars. No, these cold-hearted robbers were just assholes.

The Antos' son, Eric, 8, has cystic fibrosis, and is literally the poster child for the Long Island branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The thieves broke through a back window of their West Sayville home, drugged their dogs, and stole $726 that had been donated to Eric. They also took Eric's medicine, which costs $2,000-a-month, and which his family cannot afford to replace currently. According to Eric's doctor Joan DeCelie-Germana, the medicine would be of no use to a drug addict looking for a fix. They also stole a teddy bear that Eric picked up on a trip to Disney World, which was paid for by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "I'm scared of going to sleep because I don't want him coming back in when I'm sleeping," said Eric Antos.

His mother is understandably distraught: "If the guy is that desperate that he's got to steal, steal money, jewelry whatever. Keep that. Just give me my son's medication. That's what he needs to sustain his life," Stacey Antos told ABC. Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that causes thick mucus to build in the lungs and digestive tract that causes progressive disability and sometimes early death.

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By Ben Yakas in News on September 17, 2010 11:38 AM

Comments [rss]

robingee

$2000 for one month of medication? Do they REALLY need to charge that much for it, those greedy pharma companies?

CaptainMXC

They made a point to steal the Teddy bear. I think they knew who these people were and it was not random.

The Great Bandini

Yup, the M.O. sounds like they were professionals. I don't know if they knew about the poster-child thing but they were definitely casing the house and probably knew that there would be cash and jewelry laying around. I'd be willing to bet the parents are operators of some kind of cash business; either a restaurant or jewelry store.

The Great Bandini

I didn't read the part about the $726. Yeah these guy were some local thieves who heard about the fundraiser, def sound like pros though, that's for sure.

bxbrian

Yes yes, of course money, but man--the teddy bear thing just kills me. He'll be getting a build-a-bear gift card and a check from me, that's for certain.

bxbrian

Good lord, how can you take a kid's teddy bear of all things?

In case anyone was looking for a way to help out (and saw that it wasn't in the Gothamist re-hash of the ABC piece), it seems the address is:

Antos Family Fund

c/o Pyrate Brotherhood

PO Box 112

Sayville, NY 11782

631-375-7451

I know I for one will be sending that poor kid a teddy bear.

John L

Forget the teddy bear he needs MONEY!

$2,000 to be exact.

But thank you for doing what Gothamist should have done.

Gothamist shame on you for leaving this part out.

Spirit of 76

$2000 only covers one month of medication.

TheKlaus

Gothamist, please follow this story up with something uplifting. That story made me sick to my stomach and pretty much killed any joy I had in today.