Package thief steals shipment of young boy's life-saving medication

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSTU) - A Utah father was prepared to take out a loan after his son's medicine was stolen off their front porch by a package thief.

The three-month supply of kidney medication costs about $5,000.

Austin Taylor is a little boy with a big heart. He was born with several severe birth defects, including stage five kidney failure, and doctors weren't sure he'd survive.

"He's my little miracle.  He's my hero," Austin’s father, Cody Taylor said. "They gave him a 25 percent chance of living three months."

But now, four years later, Austin is still fighting. He got a new kidney a little more than a year ago.

"It was a huge relief because we knew he wasn't in kidney failure any more.  And that upped his life expectancy and his health by so much," Cody said.

Because of the transplant, Austin takes medicine so his body doesn't reject the kidney.

Cody got a notification this week that a new dose was delivered.

"Usually when I get that, I expect to see the boxes as I pull up.  There was nothing there," Cody remembers.

After looking into it, he realized the package was stolen. Cody worried his insurance wouldn't cover the costs of replacing it. He knew his small family couldn't afford the price tag.

"Luckily my SUV's paid off.  I was prepared to take out a loan and buy the medications outright," Cody said.

Thankfully after days of working with the insurance, he got it covered.

While he is frustrated with the package thief, he is overwhelmed with support from the community.

"We have gotten so much love and so much support that I just couldn't believe it," Cody said.

And Cody has this message for the person who stole his son's medication...

"You don't know who you're hurting by your actions. It could range from ruining someone's Christmas to threatening somebody's life.  You just never know."