(Nov. 24) -- A terminally ill teenager in Minnesota received the gift of a lifetime Sunday when his fully refinished dream car was unveiled, a gift made possible by strangers who were moved by his story.
After Tyler Shipman, 18, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, in early October, he was unsure if he'd be able to restore his beloved Pontiac Fiero, the Minneapolis StarTribune reported. On Oct. 29, he posted a plea on an online forum for Fiero lovers: "Hey guys, I have an 86 Fiero GT that I've been slowly fixing up ... and I'm just trying to find some way to get it restored before I pass."
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Shipman family
Friends and strangers gathered to restore 18-year-old Tyler Shipman's Pontiac Fiero.
Offers of parts, money and prayers poured in for the Frazee High School senior. "Fiero-heads" from as far as California and Texas arrived last weekend to work on Tyler's car, restoring it to mint condition.
Tyler's mother, Daneele Shipman, said the effort has been "mind-boggling."
"None of these guys has ever met Tyler, except for online," she told the StarTribune.
To read more, go to the Minneapolis StarTribune.
