Sammy

Some people quietly become the person everyone else leans on.

They help families navigate difficult systems, answer late-night messages from overwhelmed parents and create spaces where people feel understood during some of the hardest moments of their lives.

For Sammy, that role grew naturally over time.

This month, through Cars for Good, the team at easyauto123 Balcatta proudly surprised Sammy and her family with a 2016 Mitsubishi ASX to help make daily life a little safer, easier and more manageable.

Showing Up For Others

While raising her two daughters, Tyler and Chelsea, both of whom require significant daily support and care, Sammy still found ways to support other families in her community too. Between medical appointments, therapy sessions, school commitments and the unpredictability that comes with complex care needs, life already demanded enormous amounts of organisation, patience and resilience.

Still, Sammy kept showing up for others.

She created an inclusive playgroup for children with all abilities and their parents, helping families connect with people who genuinely understood what they were going through. She also supported parents navigating the NDIS system and became someone many people turned to for advice and reassurance.

When Everyday Life Became Harder

Over time though, daily life became harder to manage.

Sammy’s car had become increasingly unreliable despite repeated repairs she carried out herself. Every breakdown added pressure to routines that already required careful planning, particularly with the level of support Chelsea needs each day.

At eight years old, Chelsea lives with level 3 autism alongside several complex health conditions, including a seizure condition, anxiety, panic disorder, PICA and hypermobility syndrome. Public transport was never a realistic option, as busy and unpredictable environments can quickly become overwhelming for Chelsea and make travel extremely difficult to manage safely.

As transport became less reliable, everyday life became more difficult. Appointments were harder to coordinate, school commitments became more stressful and even fitting Chelsea’s wheelchair into the old vehicle had become a challenge. Eventually, the inclusive playgroup Sammy had worked so hard to build had to stop running because getting there safely and reliably simply became too difficult.

A Surprise In The Rain

Then, on a rainy morning that Sammy thought would be nothing more than a coffee catch-up with a friend, everything changed.

Plans had shifted at the last minute due to the weather, with everyone gathering at a friend’s house instead of the nearby park. Waiting in the driveway was a blue Mitsubishi ASX with a bow stretched across the front, gifted by the easyauto123 Balcatta team as part of Cars for Good.

At first, Sammy could barely process what was happening.

“Sorry. I don’t normally burst into tears.”
“I’m not usually lost for words, but I honestly don’t know what to say.”
“You have no idea how much this means to me.”

As the emotion settled slightly, the practical impact of the vehicle quickly became clear. Reliable transport would ease some of the constant uncertainty surrounding appointments and day-to-day travel. There would finally be enough room for Chelsea’s wheelchair and less fear around whether they could safely get where they needed to go each week.

More Than Just Transport

But the impact reaches beyond transport alone.

The playgroup Sammy built for other families can now return. Community connections that had gradually narrowed under pressure suddenly feel possible again.

A few days later, Sammy sent a message to the Cars for Good team.

“Both my daughters absolutely love the car. My eldest daughter Tyler has even named it. She decided the car’s name is Lucky, because she cannot believe we are so lucky.”

From everyone at easyauto123, we’re incredibly proud to support Sammy and her family through Cars for Good, and we hope Lucky helps create a little more freedom, stability and breathing room for the road ahead.