Turning a Christmas Theft into a Christmas Gift

This morning (Dec 26, 2020), my doorbell rang. It was the police.

They were investigating a theft that occurred across the street and asked if I could check my Ring doorbell to see if there were any suspicious vehicles caught on camera the night before.

I was shocked to learn from the police that thieves stole my neighbors’ tires right off their car that was parked in their driveway on Christmas night! Yep, that’s 2020 for you.

Let me tell you something about my neighbors. They are hands-down the NICEST neighbors we have ever had. They are husband and wife of many years who are getting close to retirement. They remember our kids’ birthdays and give them cards and gifts. They call us when we have a package in front of our door for too long so it doesn’t get stolen. I’ve even caught them sweeping leaves in our front yard, shoveling snow from our sidewalk, and doing other random acts of kindness to us discreetely. It's unreal.

I initially wrote this story in a way to keep them unidentified, but it has come to my attention that local media outlets are interested in running a story about this GoFundMe, so their identity will probably be revealed in the near future. Without sharing any details, I will just say that despite their touching acts of generosity, I have reasons to believe that their finances are fairly tight, and every little bit of help they receive will make a big impact on their lives and their prospects to retire and keep their home over the coming years (i.e. stay in our neighborhood!). 

After speaking to my neighbors, I learned that the damage done to their vehicle is upwards of $800, so for sure they will be out their $500 insurance deductible. Also, this is their only vehicle for transportation, and one of them has very bad arthritis, which makes moving around and dealing with this theft all the more challenging for them. 

I’m planning on giving them a monetary gift in the near future to help defray the costs they have incurred, but in addition, I am inviting all who are interested to share in this good deed. Let’s turn this awful Christmas theft into a Christmas gift these wonderful people deserve! 

100% of the money collected from this GoFundMe will go to my neighbors. I will pool your donations with my own gift and tell them where the money came from and how I raised it. I will update this GoFundMe with how much money was raised, how I gave it to them, and something about their reaction to the gift in accordance to their wishes, whatever they may be... Or you might be able to read about it in the news! Let's see how this goes.

Many of you reading this probably found out about it directly from me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/yMDPhD), WhatsApp, or email, so you know it’s legitimate that way.

If you don’t know me personally, wow! Thank you for taking the time to read this story! It’s nice to meet you. If you want to know a little about me, I am a resident physician at the Medical College of Wisconsin: https://www.mcw.edu/departments/pathology-and-laboratory-medicine/people/youssef-farhat-md-phd

Stay healthy and well, everyone, and let’s hope 2021 will be a better year for us all! The bar has been set extremely low by 2020, so I’m optimistic that it will be.

Youssef Farhat, MD/PhD
Chief Resident
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin