Puppy Stolen from UCSF Children's Hospital Leukemia Patient Returned

Chemo

Update: UCSF Children's Hospital Patient Reunited With Stolen Puppy, UCSF Today, September 7, 2006 UCSF Children's Hospital leukemia patient Kyle Wetle and his family will be reunited Wednesday afternoon with the 15-week-old Chihuahua puppy named Chemo that was stolen from the family vehicle on September 2. Chemo was surrendered to UCSF police officers Tuesday at the Koret Family House on 10th Avenue, where the Wetle family, of Monterey, has been staying during Kyle's hospitalization. The puppy was stolen from the family's vehicle while it was parked in the UCSF campus parking garage on Parnassus Heights. At approximately 9:30 p.m. last night Kyle's mother, Katrina Wetle, retrieved Chemo from the custody of the UCSF Police Department, confirming that the puppy that was surrendered to police on Tuesday is in fact the family pet. Wetle said that she is "ecstatic" that Chemo has been found and will be reunited with Kyle. "It was just surreal." Wetle said. "I just couldn't believe I was holding him after everything that's happened. I am so excited for Kyle that I'm just about to pop," she said.

Kyle Jackson Wetle, 8 years old.

The puppy was a gift to Kyle from his parents to fulfill one of his wishes. Katrina Wetle said that Kyle was told of the dog's disappearance for the first time Monday night. She said that, while he was sad about the loss, he felt encouraged by the media attention surrounding the incident and was hopeful that his puppy would be returned. "He just knew he was going to get his puppy back," Wetle said. Chemo is not the only dog that Kyle has lost, his mother said. She said that the family had obtained two German Shepherd dogs from a rescue organization for Kyle. One died and one had to be put to sleep recently. "When it rains, it pours," she said. Kyle suffers from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a potentially fatal form of cancer. Kyle was diagnosed with the condition five years ago. He had been awaiting a donor for a bone marrow transplant and a match was found approximately three weeks ago. "We were told that the chances of finding a match were one million-to-one," his mother said. Kyle is an in-patient at UCSF Children's Hospital, undergoing a round of chemotherapy to eliminate the cancerous cells before he can undergo a bone marrow transplant. The round of chemotherapy is taking place in order to attempt to get Kyle back into remission so that he can qualify for the transplant. If he does not go back into remission he will not qualify for the transplant. The potential donor match is being held until September 10. Further information about Kyle Jackson Wetle's condition is posted on a special website. Anyone wishing to contact the UCSF Police Department with information about this case is encouraged to contact the UCSF Police Department at (415) 760-5867. Related Links: Kyle's Smile Cancer Patient's Stolen Puppy Returned
San Francisco Chronicle, September 5, 2006 "UCSF Police Get Leads in Puppy Theft"
San Francisco Chronicle, September 5, 2006 "Thieves Steal Young Cancer Patient's Pup"
San Francisco Chronicle, September 5, 2006 "Cancer Patient's Puppy Stolen"
San Francisco Examiner, September 5, 2006 "Police Search for Sick Child's Puppy-Napper"
KRXI-TV, September 4, 2006