LONGVIEW, Wash. -- A woman said a thief grabbed her purse in the parking lot of a Longview store on Wednesday.

Cheryl McDowell, an amputee with two prosthetic legs, said she was getting money orders at the Fred Meyer store on Ocean Beach Highway just before noon. While she was walking back to her car, a man approached her and asked for a light, she said.

McDowell said the man attacked her as she reached into her car to get a lighter.

"He shoved me and, with my legs being prosthetics, my balance isn't well at all," McDowell said. "And I kind of stumbled and he grabbed my purse off my shoulder and just yanked it really hard and took off running."

McDowell said she had more than $700 in her purse, along with her driver's license, bank card and social security cards for herself and her daughter.

"I lost everything except my car keys and my cell phone," she said.

Despite the robbery, McDowell said she won't let this setback get her down.

"Ever since I lost my legs, I could've said, 'Woe is me.' But I didn't. I said, 'This isn't going to get me down, I'm going to fight,'" she said.

Police described the thief as white, about 30 years old, 6 feet tall with a medium build. He has brown hair and was seen wearing jeans and a dark shirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call Longview police.

Man Steals Purse From Disabled Woman