POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A man battling cancer was granted his wish when the Make-A-Wish Foundation and a Pompano Beach auto shop renovated his beloved Jeep that was passed down from his father.
Jose Miranda, 19, received his newly upgraded 2000 Jeep Wrangler at Superior Auto Design on Friday.
“I was in high school, my sophomore year, and my dad bought it,” he said. “He was going to flip it, and I was about to start driving, so I was like, ‘Can I keep it?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, you gotta learn how to drive stick.'”
The 19-year-old said his father, Irving Miranda, drove the car 4,000 miles from Alaska to South Florida when the family moved, so they would not leave the Jeep behind.
The team at Superior Auto Design breathed new life into the Jeep with a new paint job, underbody rock lights and an upgraded sound system.
“This thing isn’t tuned right now, but if you tune that speaker…” Superior Auto Design owner Kristopher Lim said to Miranda.
“Oh, trust me, I’ll be messing with it,” Miranda replied.
“It’s an awesome experience for all of us here at the shop to give something back, to do something good,” Lim said. “With all the bad that’s going on, it’s always nice to do something good.”
The 19-year-old is battling cancer, and for the last couple of years, he has undergone surgeries and months of chemotherapy for a rare, malignant germ cell tumor.
“You guys are awesome,” Irving said. “Thanks a lot, guys. It means the world to my son.”
With his little sister in the passenger seat, Jose looks forward to driving his Jeep in style.
“I got my wish,” he said. “This is my baby. I love her.”
Friday’s reveal marks the fourth time Superior Auto Design has teamed up with the foundation to make a deserving patient’s dream come true.
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