It wasn’t quite 5 o’clock when they heard the first rumble of engines in the distance. Alex had been waiting for it all day. “Nana, get me out there!” he shouted, just like any other impatient 11-year-old boy on a big day.
Susan Nipoti, Alex’s HopeHealth pediatric hospice nurse and RN case manager, was ready too. She helped wheel Alex out to the front yard, then stood beside him with his grandparents.
One by one, the cars began to appear — Lamborghinis, Jaguars, Camaros, an entire car club of Mustangs. Over the next 45 minutes, more than 250 vehicles wound their way down the street.
The day before, Alex had had a tough day, spending most of it on the couch. Now, he was bubbling over with excitement, beaming and calling out makes and models as cars went by.
“It was so precious. Alex was just thrilled. He loved fancy, exotic cars,” says Susan. “And it created this opportunity for all these different people to come together to support him.”
> Connect with Pediatric Supportive Services
A trip that couldn’t happen — and the joy that did
The car parade wasn’t the original plan. Alex’s family had been planning a special trip to New York — a visit to an armory, a ride in a military-style tracked vehicle, an overnight stay in his grandparents’ camper. It was everything Alex loved. It gave him something to look forward to in this latest, and last, difficult stage of illness. He had been fighting cancer since age 4. Recently, it had spread to his brain.
But as the New York weekend approached, his health declined past the point of travel. His grandparents gently explained to Alex that their plans had changed, and they couldn’t do the trip after all. Susan was there when they broke the news.
“Alex was crushed. He started crying. I could just see his heart breaking,” Susan says.
She thought fast. They weren’t sure how much time Alex had left to enjoy any major event. But maybe they could bring something right to him, right away.
“I said, ‘What if I can try to get someone to come by your house tomorrow with a fancy car?’ He loved Bugattis, Lamborghinis, Corvettes — that was his thing,” Susan says. “Alex perked up and said, ‘Yeah, that would be cool.’”
With permission from the family, Susan posted a quick message to her local Facebook group, hoping a couple of car enthusiasts might respond.
> Read: 5 benefits of adding pediatric hospice when your child is seriously ill
“I was thinking maybe two or three cars…”
Within moments of her post, Susan’s phone began buzzing, both from people she knew and complete strangers. Car club members, neighbors, former patients’ families, even a local news station reached out. They’d heard that a local boy was sick and loved cars. They wanted to help.
“Everybody can identify with a young boy like Alex, whether you’re thinking about your child or a younger brother or a neighbor,” says Susan. “It really brought everybody together.”
In less than 24 hours, the community had pulled together a full-scale parade, complete with a police escort. From their front lawn, Alex, his family and Susan watched in wonder as the line of cars went on and on.
“I was originally thinking maybe we could get two or three cars. By the morning I thought more like 25, 30 cars,” says Susan. “There ended up being more than 250 cars.”
That included everything from exotic Bugattis and Lamborghinis (Alex’s favorite) to a surprise appearance by the town’s street sweeper. Alex’s school bus rolled up, carrying his teachers with gifts and hugs. His Boy Scout friends came by in a dad’s pickup. Even the town’s emotional support dog came to visit.
Alex soaked up every moment.
“It was more than just making up for what he couldn’t do. It was what he could do,” says Susan. “He was listing all the cars as they went by — he knew every one. People were so generous. Some brought him toy cars and little gifts. They would stop and ask him, ‘What do you think of my car? Want to take a ride?’ He had a great day.”
Alex passed away three weeks later. In his final weeks, he kept returning to that great day.
“My sweet little guy, he talked about it for days and days and days,” says Susan. “It brought him so much happiness.”
Back on the day of the car parade, a new HopeHealth employee had accompanied Susan to shadow her on the job. As they stood there watching Alex, lit up with joy and surrounded by community, Susan turned to her.
“I remember telling her, ‘This is really special,” Susan says. “‘And because of what we do, we get to experience it.’”
