An airway clearance vest stolen from the home of a 14-year-old teen with cystic fibrosis has been recovered by police in Palo Alto, California, but the teen’s health was in decline after missing her ACT treatments.

Police responded to a call in the 16700 block of Forrest Avenue about a vehicle that threw out two small suitcases that contained the [airway clearance vest] stolen…during a burglary…on Friday.

Mary Gonsalves, the girl’s mother, said laptops and other electronics were stolen from the home, but the most valuable item taken was her daughter Allissa’s Respirtech InCourage Airway Clearance Vest. Allissa has cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening disease that causes mucus buildup in the body and lungs, and it was this machine that allowed her to breathe, Gonsalves said.

Read more at www.nbclosangeles.com