Amy and Ty

Good news has been hard to come by for Amy and Ty over the past few years. There has always seemed to be another change in Amy’s health, another appointment to prepare for or another problem they need to find a way through together.

So when Ty received a call telling him their family was going to be given a car, it took a moment to sink in.

“We never get good news. For years, we’ve just been waiting for bad news. I’m in shock.”

Amy and Ty met in high school and are now raising three daughters, aged three, six and nine. Amy has been living with cancer for several years and underwent a double mastectomy while pregnant with their youngest daughter, Halo. The cancer has since returned for the fourth time.

Sixteen months ago, Amy was given a life expectancy of one year. There are now no further treatment options available, and she requires a wheelchair whenever she leaves the house.

Their days are still filled with many of the same things as any family with three young children. The girls need to get to school and daycare, there are groceries to buy and appointments to keep, and Ty has taken on much of the responsibility at home while caring for Amy and supporting their daughters.

Getting Harder to Get Around

Their unreliable car had been making everyday life increasingly difficult.

The family bought it for $5,000 two years ago and spent a significant amount trying to repair it earlier this year. Despite that, it continued to stall and break down until they were eventually advised it was no longer worth repairing.

By then, Amy no longer felt safe travelling in it and did not want the girls in it either. The family sometimes relied on taxis, making hospital appointments, school runs and everyday trips more difficult to organise.

Finding another car came with its own practical considerations. Amy needs to take her wheelchair whenever she leaves the house, two of the girls still use child seats and there needs to be room for all five of them. Above all, they needed a car they could rely on.

Something Good

Amy and Ty were nominated for Cars for Good by people close to the family. Ty had never heard of the initiative and certainly never imagined his family might be selected.

The easyauto123 Hendra team measured Amy’s wheelchair, considered the space needed for the child seats and found a 2019 Subaru Outback Premium that would work for them.

For the first time in a while, the family had some good news to look forward to.

When handover day arrived, Amy’s wheelchair fitted comfortably alongside everything else a family of five needs to carry. Ty could get everyone where they needed to go without wondering whether the car would make it, and Amy could feel comfortable travelling with her daughters again.

While talking that day, Amy posed a question. What would you do if somebody offered you $10 million? Most people would take it. But what if accepting the money meant you would not wake up tomorrow?

“Every day I get to wake up is worth more than any amount of money,” Amy said. “It’s time with your family that matters.”

Another Day Together

For Amy and her family, that time can be something as simple as an afternoon at Queens Park in Toowoomba when she is feeling well enough to get out with the girls.

Most days, though, the Outback will be doing the ordinary jobs of family life. It will take the girls to school, carry Amy and her wheelchair to appointments, bring the groceries home and make it easier for the five of them to get around together.

Having a car they can rely on means fewer things to work around and more freedom to get out together when Amy is feeling well.

Sometimes that might mean an afternoon at Queens Park. Other times it will simply be the school run, the shops and home again.

And for Amy, Ty and their girls, those ordinary days together are what matter most.