Thief steals car from family at Ronald McDonald House

To the proud pinhead in possession of a black 2002 Ford F-250 Quadcab with Montana plates:

Nice work.

You made an already agonizing situation that much worse when you stole Jeremy and Karen Hartle's truck from in front of the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle Tuesday night.

They're living here while their 3-year-old son, John, is being treated for stage four, high-risk neuroblastoma. Cancer.

That might explain the medical supplies in the back of the truck. The feeding tubes. The IVs.

There was also a GPS, baby clothes, camping gear and Jeremy's tools, which he uses in his pre-cast and masonry businesses back in Montana.

The Hartles couldn't fit it all in their room at the Ronald McDonald House, so they were using the truck for storage. It was too big to park in the adjacent parking lot, too big to get into the garage, so they parked it out front — just beyond the range of the security cameras.

So you got lucky there.

In fact, the only "witness" was a statue of Ronald McDonald, which replaced the one two boys stole and destroyed early last year. They turned themselves in to police.

Something to think about.

Anyway, Jeremy Hartle, 34, headed out to the truck Tuesday; he was thinking of taking John for a ride. The kid loves the freedom that comes from driving around, especially after spending so much of his time cooped up in a hospital room.

When Jeremy saw the truck was gone, he walked up and down the street, thinking he might have parked it somewhere else. He's got a lot on his mind.

But no. It was gone. He called 911 at 8 p.m. The cops came by at 3 a.m. to take a report. Not much they could do beyond that.

Did I mention the Hartles' little boy has cancer? That they've been away from their two other children — John's twin, Matti, and 7-year-old Makenna — since June? Jeremy made two quick trips back to Kalispell to see them in July and August, but still.

Did I mention that Karen is seven months pregnant and has gestational diabetes?

She told me she's always loved Seattle; her father received bone-marrow transplants at the University of Washington Medical Center and Swedish before he died 14 years ago.

Now cancer is back in the family, but this time in John, his blond hair down to wisps, a feeding tube snaking out of the backpack he wears all the time.

Ronald McDonald House Executive Director Dianna Finnerty stood with me Thursday, watching John push a stroller around the sidewalk.

"It's the worst time in their lives, to be told that one of your children has a life-threatening disease," Finnerty said. "They're not in control of their lives; they're away from the support of their family. It's awful."

Families like the Hartles don't ever know how long they're going to be here. That's why they bring so much with them. They live between hope and dread.

In the five years Finnerty has worked here, staff members' cars have been broken into a couple of times. But nothing like this. No one just stole a truck from right in front of the place.

You would think that someone would see the sign out front, the Ronald statue sitting on the bench, waiting for a sick kid to climb up and feel not so sick for a while. And maybe they would think: "Wish I could do something to help."

Instead, you did this.

Karen Hartle understands that these are tough times for everyone.

"I understand and I empathize," she said. "I just want them to understand other people's situations and what's going on."

There was a lot going on for the Hartles already. Thanks to you, now there's even more.

Nicole Brodeur's column appears Tuesday and Friday. Reach her at 206-464-2334 or nbrodeur@seattletimes.com.

Bring it back. Now.