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Terminally Ill Cancer Patient Is Moved Up on Tesla's Model S Delivery List

It's not just the Model 3 or the Model X that have long waiting lists, but also the more common Model S. These lists are somewhat sacred to Elon Musk and cutting in front is damn near impossible. In fact, even his cousin had to wait in line just like everybody else, and we wouldn't be surprised if he'd do the same for his mother.
Ryan Wagner and Miles Wagner's Teslas 1 photo
Photo: Ryan Wagner
However, there are some occasions when exceptions are worth making, and Ryan Wagner's case surely qualifies as such. Ryan is a 32-year-old man who over the course of one week in 2013 got two life-changing news that couldn't be more different from each other even if they tried.

The first one had a nine-month due date and was predictably met with a lot of joy, but then came the second. One week later, Ryan was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. In case you are fortunate enough not to know what "metastatic" means, you should know that it's basically the final and most severe form of cancer where the disease starts spreading around the body, affecting other organs as well.

And so it did in Ryan's case, attacking his lungs and some lymph nodes as well. Nevertheless, life goes on and in August 2013, his baby boy was born. Two months later, the little one had his first seizure and, after more investigation, it turned out he suffered from a rare disease that affected his liver by overproducing oxalate. Not only that, but the excess of this substance had already destroyed his kidneys, so despite being only a few months old, he needed both liver and kidney e transplant.

That's enough to break even the most hardened men, but Ryan stayed strong. His son received a successful liver transplant and is now waiting for the same thing to happen with his kidneys. But this unfortunate tragic situation did have a powerful impact on the way the Wagner family sees life, so the couple decided it was time for a change of perspective. They focused on paying off their house so that the wife and child would always have a place to live, but after that it was time for something a little less practical.

Ever since the Tesla Model S was launched, Ryan had wanted one. With the focus on closing the mortgage on the house, he couldn't dream of buying one, but once that was taken care of he decided it wouldn't be too out of place to fulfill his dream. So he placed an order for one at the Chicagoland Tesla. Well, if this story didn't bring a tear to your eye so far, you'd better reach out for the tissues now.

Finding out about the Wagners' story, the team at Chicagoland Tesla decided it would do everything in its power to get their EV as quickly as possible. They managed to put Ryan at the front of the queue and, come delivery day, they insisted he brought his son along as well. They didn't say why, but you might have guessed looking at the picture. The employees pitched in and got Miles a Radio Flyer mini-Tesla with a personalized license plate and all.

Ryan is now enjoying his car while also fighting the terrible disease at the same time, but the incredible reaction these absolute strangers had upon hearing his story is what continues to give us hope in humanity. They didn't find a cure for cancer, but they did everything else they could. In his blog post, Ryan thanked them from all his heart, and also mentioned that if Elon Musk would "ever consider doing a make-a-wish for adults," he'd love to meet him one day. Well, if the CEO is anything like the Chicagoland Tesla employees, I'm sure he will.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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