Young Army veteran, family robbed while he is dying of stage 4 cancer

Bandits cleaned out the home of a California veteran fighting off Stage 4 testicular cancer as he rested in a hospital bed, making off with a Social Security card, Christmas presents, cash, chemotherapy medicine, and even a car.

24-year-old Adrian Ortega was forced to undergo an extensive surgery in San Diego hospital on Monday, after his cancer spread to other organs. His wife, Jessica Tolentino sat by his side through the recovery stage, pregnant with their third child.

On Thursday, however, the couple was told that their home in Mountain View had been burglarized and that the perpetrators had made off with quite a bit of their belongings.

“To come home and it’s all gone. I know that stuff is replaceable, but he has worked so hard,” Tolentino said.

Among the items stolen were a 2006 Acura RSX, Ortega’s Army awards, Social Security cards, birth certificates, diapers, clothes and even the family Christmas presents.

“They took our social security cards, both birth certificates, personal papers,” Tolentino said. “They took our kids toys. Who does that? Our babies are left with nothing. It’s hard as it is now,”

Fortunately, the couple’s two young children were staying with family at the time of the robbery.

“It is devastating to us dealing with this and this breaks my heart. They have to deal with this time of year,” said Ortega’s grandmother, Rose Hernandez, told CBS8.

Family members have set up a GoFundMe account to help the couple with their losses, which has raised around $16,325 out of a $25,000 goal.

After hearing about the incident, the handlers of Chopper The Biker Dog, a 9-year-old Boston Terrier, brought Chopper to visit Ortega in the hospital.

CBS News 8 – San Diego, CA News Station – KFMB Channel 8

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