Tammy Milillo, an active member of the campus Catholic community and a pre-kindergarten Sunday school teacher, was robbed of $400 worth of clothing specially tailored to accommodate her cerebral palsy on Friday, Feb. 8. The clothes were stolen from the Clinton Hall laundry room in the Governors complex.
Milillo, a senior majoring in chemistry, is confined to a wheelchair as a result of her condition. The stolen clothes were fitted with slide hooks and Velcro because Milillo is unable to fasten standard buttons on jeans and other clothing.
"At first I was shocked. And then I thought that maybe someone took them by mistake and I thought they would be returned by morning," said Milillo. "I gave people the benefit of the doubt. I really didn't think people would steal clothing."
A Rochester native, Milillo said her mother usually tailors her clothes but because her 23-year-old brother was recently diagnosed with cancer, her mother cannot leave him for long periods to come to Buffalo.
If she has the clothes professionally tailored, it costs about $40 to have one pair of jeans fitted with slide hooks.
Milillo said about seven pairs of pants, two T-shirts, a turtleneck and a few sweaters were stolen. Left behind were her pajamas, underwear and two sweaters.
"I was really upset because I knew I couldn't afford to replace them. My family is going through a hard time."
Milillo, who has two aides to assist her twice daily, said she realized the clothes were missing at around 12:30 a.m. when she went to retrieve the laundry her aide had started earlier in the day. The aides, who each help Milillo for two hours per day, assist with cleaning, laundry and personal care.
"Some nice girl saw me looking around in the laundry room. She said she would be willing to make signs for me and put them up," said Milillo.
Flyers were posted throughout Clinton Hall last Saturday, asking that the clothes be returned. Milillo also reported the incident to University Police.
"[The police] were very nice. The police officer understood my predicament, but there was not much they could do," said Milillo.
According to Milillo, the police told her they do not offer reimbursements and it was unlikely her clothes would be found. A University Police officer said a report was given and turned over to investigators.
"[My mother] was furious because with my brother being sick and all, money was so tight. A lot of those clothes were brand new," said Milillo.
The senior said she had to buy new clothes because her medication recently caused her to gain weight. The stolen clothes were acquired either as gifts or by saving the money herself and had only been worn once or twice.
"I didn't get a lot for Christmas and a few of the things that were stolen were very special because that's what I got," she said.
Milillo has received some donations and has taken two on-campus tutoring jobs to try to earn money to replace the clothes, but still hopes the stolen clothes will be returned.
"With the money people gave me, I can buy new clothes, but I can't wear them right away," she said. Milillo said she would have to send the clothes home to be altered first.
Milillo's mother and aunt, from Auburn, N.Y., came to alter some clothes for her Tuesday, since the only items she had left were two pairs of pants and two sweaters - not enough to make it through a week.
Milillo said a friend approached her about organizing a fundraiser since it would take so long for her to earn the money herself but they decided that putting up flyers would not be effective, since the original flyers, asking the perpetrators to return the clothing, were not.
Instead, Milillo and her friend are considering going door-to-door because they decided it would be "a better way to go about it."
Anyone wishing to donate clothes sized four to six or money can contact Matt at 645-4216 or bring donations to 117B Clinton Hall.
"I hope this brings back my clothes or something. I'd rather have clothes than money," said Milillo. "It would make my life so much easier to have them back."
