Thieves steal blind woman's laptop

PHOENIX - A screen door left open to let in a little fresh air cost Ruth Smith more than she could have imagined when someone broke into her Phoenix apartment while she slept.

"Someone had entered my apartment and taken my computer," Smith described.

But the thieves didn't take just any computer.

"It's a special computer," Smith said.

It is a laptop with special software that allows Smith, who is blind due to diabetes-related illness, to communicate with the outside world.

"I would insert it here," she said as she showed how it would scan documents.

The laptop was hooked up to a scanner and would literally read the pages of books, letters, and even bills.

"I kind of look at her computer as her lifeline. It was her source to the outside world," said Barbara Fritz, an advisor with CareMore, a medical group for seniors.

Without the computer, Smith has been left in the dark.

She knows it's unlikely police will ever recover it, but is hoping someone will step forward and help her regain her freedom.

Until then, it's back to books-on-tape and relying on others to guide her.

Still, she remains optimistic, glad she was left unharmed.

"Grateful that nothing happened to me because I was here in the apartment sleeping, and anything could have happened," she said.

Anyone interested in helping out should contact CareMore at Sandy@millergeer.com or www.caremore.com .