The last thing a northwest Calgary family needed was to have someone break into their home and steal emergency equipment needed for a two-year-old girl fighting cancer.
That’s what happened around 3 a.m. Saturday.
Joseph Daniels says he was awoken by an officer knocking on his door in Country Hills, telling him that he and several other homes in his community had been broken into.
“I was scared for my family because he was in our garage and then anger, of course,” Daniels said.
Daniels says the thief broke into his car and then used his garage door opener to get inside. That’s when he says the thief took a Calgary Flames jersey, a gold chain and an uncashed cheque needed for his daughter’s treatment.
His daughter’s emergency kit that was kept in the middle console of their vehicle was also stolen.
“It would just hold a few things to help her in whatever emergency situation she was in regarding her access line,” Daniels said. “There’s things like syringes and heparin and clamps and stuff for her, the caps for her line and tape, emergency sticker — useless to anyone who doesn’t need it.”
Daniels says his daughter Aurora was diagnosed last year with Stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma.
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“It’s quite the journey, highs and lows, treatment issues, ongoing treatment issues,” Daniels said. “Possible spread of the virus is what we’re currently dealing with now.”
People living in the neighbouring community Coventry Hills have also been sharing their concerns on social media over thefts. Several videos showing recent incidents have been posted, including one showing someone apparently siphoning gas from a vehicle. Another shows a man dragging a stack of toolboxes down an alley.
The president of the Northern Hills Community Association, Mark Hayden, says they are aware of the uptick in crime in recent months.
“Since spring, we have had three of our storage sheds get vandalized or broken into, so we have seen it first-hand,” Hayden said.
Across Calgary, police stats show that break and enters declined by 14 per cent between 2021 and 2025. Nearly 600 have been reported this year, which is less than half of all of 2025.
Despite the citywide trend, Hayden hopes to restart a block watch initiative within the Northern Hills community.
He’s also been keeping track of the Facebook comments and sharing them with their recently appointed community liaison with the Calgary police.
“Even if you don’t file an official police report or an active investigation doesn’t happen. It doesn’t mean it’s been ignored. At the very least, keep statistics and keep an eye on things,” Hayden said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Daniels’ family through Aurora’s cancer treatment.