Photo: Facebook / Jake Ryan
Wesley Ryan from San Antonio loved his car, a white 1993 Ford Mustang GT. However, when his wife Laura was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 17 years ago, he knew he had no other option but to sell it to raise money for her treatment.
That decision tore him apart, and the memory of that day remained with her two children. His son, Jake, used to dream of the day he’d become of age to drive it, but what broke his heart was seeing his father having to make this difficult decision.
Grab your handkerchiefs: after almost 2 decades, Wesley’s children managed to trace the car and buy it back, surprising him with it in an empty parking lot. You can see the moment he receives it in the video at the bottom of the page.
The reunion took place earlier this month, but Wesley tells San Antonio Express-News that he’s still on cloud nine. Sure, he doesn’t fit in the car like he used to, but the feeling of driving it is just the same.
His son, Jake, explains that he actually started looking for the car a couple of years ago. He found it on Craigslist but the owner didn’t want to sell for the kind of money he could come up with, so he eventually gave up the idea after a few tries. Then, he came across the car online again: this time, the owner was eager to part ways with it, and Jake turned to his sister and her boyfriend to raise the cash.
In what can only be described as an ironic twist of fate, the owner wanted to sell the Mustang because his mother had also been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Wesley and Jake hope her treatment will have the same results as Laura’s did: she has been cancer-free for years.
While Wesley is thrilled he’s been reunited with his prized car, he says what he loved more about his kids’ gesture was the gesture itself because it showed him the kind of people they were.
“They told me ‘Dad, we can never repay you,’ but it was never about repaying me. I tell them, ‘be successful, be productive, pay it forward’,” Wesley tells the publication. “What they did for me shows where they are: they are balanced human beings. My wife and I have succeeded, we've raised productive adults, it's the strongest, most-powerful feeling that a parent can have.”
Grab your handkerchiefs: after almost 2 decades, Wesley’s children managed to trace the car and buy it back, surprising him with it in an empty parking lot. You can see the moment he receives it in the video at the bottom of the page.
The reunion took place earlier this month, but Wesley tells San Antonio Express-News that he’s still on cloud nine. Sure, he doesn’t fit in the car like he used to, but the feeling of driving it is just the same.
His son, Jake, explains that he actually started looking for the car a couple of years ago. He found it on Craigslist but the owner didn’t want to sell for the kind of money he could come up with, so he eventually gave up the idea after a few tries. Then, he came across the car online again: this time, the owner was eager to part ways with it, and Jake turned to his sister and her boyfriend to raise the cash.
In what can only be described as an ironic twist of fate, the owner wanted to sell the Mustang because his mother had also been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Wesley and Jake hope her treatment will have the same results as Laura’s did: she has been cancer-free for years.
While Wesley is thrilled he’s been reunited with his prized car, he says what he loved more about his kids’ gesture was the gesture itself because it showed him the kind of people they were.
“They told me ‘Dad, we can never repay you,’ but it was never about repaying me. I tell them, ‘be successful, be productive, pay it forward’,” Wesley tells the publication. “What they did for me shows where they are: they are balanced human beings. My wife and I have succeeded, we've raised productive adults, it's the strongest, most-powerful feeling that a parent can have.”
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