Ford Mustangs are a dream car for auto enthusiasts young and old, as its powerful V8 engine, chiseled, stylish looks and storied history inspires people to take the wheel for themselves.
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That dream extended to 18-year-old Mustang lover Joseph Tegerdine from Utah. His dream ever since childhood was to have a Mustang of his own, and told the Detroit Free Press that there were some hurdles along the way – including driving the family car.
"I've just liked Mustangs for as long as I can remember. Six-year-old me liked it, the headlights looked cool, and I stuck with it," Tegerdine said. "I used to drive this Ford Bronco. It was a big truck, basically. I'd get compliments and I'd feel so manly. We sold that and I started driving my mom's minivan, a Honda Odyssey. I felt like my testosterone was being drained away. Not great."
Like most teenagers with aspirations, Joseph aimed to save up to fulfill his dream – taking up a job at the local branch of Sodalicious to save up the dough for a Mustang of his own.
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Unfortunately, Joseph is not like most teenagers. When he was in seventh grade, complaints of soreness and debilitating knee pain led to an alarming X-ray, which prompted doctors to perform an MRI.
He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of cancer. The diagnosis turned the Tegerdine family's life around as Joseph received treatments.
"Life is just going in a certain direction and then, it's hard to even explain how quickly things changed for the entire family," Joseph's father Joe Tegerdine said. "I can't remember how many weeks passed and treatments but they had to take a big portion of his right leg to remove the tumor. He had a 'rotationplasty,' where they cut out the bad bone and rotate your lower leg, take the tibia and fibula, and reattach to the femur. They take out the compromised bone. He has a prosthesis now."
Knee pain. That’s where it started. We told him to rest, stretch, and take some ibuprofen. 13yr old boys playing sports, knee pain just comes with the territory. But then he said it kept him up at night. So we took him to get an X-ray, looks like some calcium deposits on the… pic.twitter.com/ve6sPZWD9e
— Joe Tegerdine (@JoeTegerdine) March 8, 2024
Joseph, on the other hand, remembers that bone cancer gave him a bit of a growth spurt.
"In seventh grade, I was 5-6 and taller than everyone else on the football team. So they had me playing center and also running back. Then I grew 8 inches in a year, and I'm 5-11 now. One of the hallmarks of bone cancer is sudden and extreme growth."
As a result, Joseph didn't have a normal adolescence. Cancer treatments dominated his life over the past five years, which led him to pursue a GED instead of attending high school.
According to Joe, things got much worse. More tumors were found in his son's lungs, which prompted him to be his son's wish-bearer.
On March 2, Joseph Tegerdine had his Mustang dreams fulfilled –his dad buying him a Mustang to call his own. He wrote about the decision in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
"For those wondering why I’d buy my 18yr old son a 330hp Mustang, well, he’s been given months to live and can’t work long enough to buy one himself," Joe Tegerdine wrote. "His comment on the way home, 'Dad, I’m going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this.' #cancersucks"
For those wondering why I’d buy my 18yr old son a 330hp Mustang, well, he’s been given months to live and can’t work long enough to buy one himself. His comment on the way home, “ Dad, I’m going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this.” #cancersucks pic.twitter.com/SWNq6bJ4nd
— Joe Tegerdine (@JoeTegerdine) March 3, 2024
Joseph seems to really enjoy his new ride.
"In a Mustang I feel like a man again. It's the silliest thing. When you get in and start it, the car just rumbles around you. It's not a noise, it's a feeling. When you take corners, you can feel you're being pushed through the corner from the back. I like the way rear-wheel drive feels. When you turn the (steering) wheel, what I feel are cleaner turns."
The post sent out by Joseph's dad went viral, reaching more than 13.8 million views, 177,000 likes and 7,900 reposts by the time of this writing.
One of those who viewed Joseph's story was Ford (F) CEO Jim Farley, who offered a life-changing experience for him.
Hi Joe, I’m so sorry to hear what your family is going through. Please let me know if you and your son would like to attend @FPRacingSchool to experience a @FordMustang Dark Horse on the track. DM me and we’ll make it happen.
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) March 3, 2024
"Hi Joe, I’m so sorry to hear what your family is going through. Please let me know if you and your son would like to attend [Ford Racing School] to experience a [Ford Mustang] Dark Horse on the track. DM me and we’ll make it happen."
Tegerdine took up Farley on his offer and Joseph is pretty psyched up about it.
"I don't know how to drift. I've always been too scared to go to a parking lot to figure that out, because I'd just hit a light pole or something," he said. "I need an instructor, a trainer. Also, I get to drive one of the most powerful Ford track Mustangs there is. This is going to be sick."
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Looking back at the whole experience, Joe Tegerdine wrote in a March 11 post on X that the present day is a result of enjoying life, being grateful and enjoying the life he was given.
"When my son was first diagnosed I had to make a decision. Either curse God and die or try to make the best of a really bad situation. With the perspective of what it would be like to experience sudden loss, I decided to be grateful. Grateful that we’ve had the 18 years to build memories and enjoy him," Tegerdine wrote.
"Even now, with the only treatments left to prolong life and manage pain, I’m thankful he’s still with us, squeezing out the best that life can offer under less than ideal circumstances. My heart is still broken, but I know it could be a lot worse."
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