Miracle Van: Auto repair shop helps Boise woman with cerebral palsy after her adapted van breaks down
Chester T. Dean
3 min read
Kristyn Herbert said it would take a miracle to get her van on the road. She had no money for a new transmission – that’s when a repair shop came to her aid.
MERIDIAN, Idaho – A woman from Boise found herself in a difficult situation when her specially adapted pickup truck broke down. Kristyn Herbert has cerebral palsy and uses an electric chair.
She depends on her support staff to lead her on her travels so that she can lead her busy life. The pickup truck stopped working earlier this summer.
“My name is Mary and we’ve been together for 13 years, and she trusts me to drive her van,†said Mary Arndt, Kristyn Herbert support staff. “He just stopped in the middle of traffic.”
Herbert loves being in the community and she needs her van. She discovered that the van needed a new transmission, but the money was tight. Kristyn feared that paying for the repairs might turn out to be a miracle.
“Because I’m on Social Security and I have other bills,†Herbert said.
A friend set up a GoFundMe account for Kristyn’s “Miracle Van” and spread the word on Facebook. Donations have poured in.
“I was shocked,†Herbert said.
Kristyn couldn’t believe people cared enough about donating to her cause. The donations were generous, but it was still not enough to pay for a new transmission. This is where Tony Zanders of Heritage Auto Repair in Meridian came into the picture.
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“We first heard about Kristyn’s dilemma when my wife was told on Facebook,†said Tony Zanders, owner of Heritage Auto Repair. “We looked at the Go Fund Me page, and there was a little over $ 400 on the site. and we quickly knew it was going to be a much more expensive repair than that. We sent it to our community on Facebook and said that whatever Go Fund Me had, we would match it up to the cost to replace that transmission. It went from $ 400 to $ 2000! It was in just a few days.
Herbert was blown away by Zanders’ generosity. Heritage Auto Repair replaced the transmission.
“She just exclaimed how nice he was and that they were going to match funds, and I was just impressed, really happy and happy for her,†Arndt said. “You don’t find this very often, and it was a great blessing to her! “
Heritage auto repair mechanic Robert Berwick installed the transmission. He says he wasn’t surprised that Zanders stepped in to help.
“It’s great to be able to help people, it’s a great feeling! It really is, â€said Berwick. “I knew he was that kind of guy, and it was that kind of company. This is one of the advantages of being able to work here.
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Herbert met Zanders when she picked up her van.
“After the van was over Kristyn showed up and I was so excited to meet her and she was just thrilled, beside herself with joy! We had a nice chat and I was able to give her the van and boy, she couldn’t have been happier, “Zanders said.” It was the highlight of my year. I love that we’re in a place where we can serve others. really isn’t about the money, it’s about the people.
“I will always come here if I have a repair,†said Herbert.
Kristyn told us that it meant so much to get her mode of transport back, the Miracle Van is now officially back on the road!
“I am free again,” said Herbert. “Thank you!”
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