South Sound couple’s car stolen from hospital parking garage

A Yelm couple, already reeling over the premature birth of their twin daughters, is now stuck without a working vehicle.

Their vehicle was stolen Saturday night out of the parking garage at Tacoma General Hospital.

It was recovered a couple of hours later. But nearly everything in it, including their IDs, is gone.

This should be a joyous time for this Yelm couple — the long-awaited birth of their twins.

Instead, misery has continued to pile up for this couple in the two months that they have been here at Tacoma General Hospital.

“I’m hurt,” said Shanda Ring. “I’m angry. I am desperate. I want my children to be healthy.”

It is all Shanda can do not to cry.

She and her husband have been at Tacoma General Hospital since the middle of October, in a desperate attempt to carry her twin daughters for as long as possible to term.

But the twins arrived nine weeks early, with a multitude of health issues.

“One of our girls, the bigger, Maeve ... her kidneys failed, four days into her life,” said Greg Zouk.

“She was so dehydrated and frail-looking,” said Shanda, her voice breaking. “We got the call no parent wants to hear.”

The couple had finally returned to their Yelm home to rest for a few hours, when they were told to rush back because Maeve might not make it.

“We were preparing ourselves to say goodbye to our baby,” Shanda said.

Then, on Saturday night, their only vehicle was stolen out of the hospital garage. While it was recovered several hours later, it was in bad condition.

“I mean, you could clearly tell, they went joyriding,” Greg said. “There was mud, rocks, pine cones, everything in the car.”

The car had a damaged windshield, a broken side mirror, and something far more valuable that was damaged, too.

“It’s ruined,” said Shanda, holding a damaged sheet of paper with her daughters’ footprints and handprints. “It’s unbelievable. ... I can’t believe it. Look at it. My little preciousness.”

As Greg has been at the hospital with his wife and daughters, he hasn’t been able to work as a long-haul trucker.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the family to get through this difficult time.

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