CALHOUN COUNTY, Mich- A local car dealership paid it forward to a Calhoun County mother living with breast cancer. Alexis Leann Tortelli doesn’t have insurance and was unable to work. She hit another challenge when her truck died.
“You don’t really realize how much you need a vehicle and you’re screaming in pain and you can’t call an ambulance because an ambulance call is a $1,500 ride. How are you going to pay for that?” she asked.
Without a way to get to the hospital, she took a chance, calling a local car dealership to ask for help replacing the water pump in her truck.
“I said I cannot pay for my medication and pay for the pump,” she told the dealership that did not want to be named in this story.
The dealership said it would call her back if it could help her. A few days later, the phone rang.
“He said I talked to everybody here and we’re sending a tow truck right now. I’m like seriously? Really?” she said.
It was an overwhelming gift for a mother who lets her 16-year-old son take the family car so he can attend college classes.
“It means my son gets to keep his scholarship and keep his straight As,” she said.
The dealership will remain anonymous and hopes what its employees did is a reminder of the importance of paying it forward.
Alexis said she hopes it is a lesson for us all, “It teaches you that there are people out there that want to help you. You know, that are willing to help you for nothing in return.”
