Utah teen and dad go on Ford racing trip after CEO learns of son’s cancer battle: ‘Hard to put into words’
A teen with cancer got a unique experience thanks to the CEO of Ford. The 18-year-old and his dad from Utah were gifted a trip to the performance racing school.
A teenager and his father had a once-in-a-lifetime experience thanks to a thoughtful gesture from a CEO.
Joseph Tegerdine, 18, of Springville, Utah, is currently in his fifth year of battling bone cancer.
Tegerdine was diagnosed with osteosarcoma bone cancer in May 2019 after suffering from knee pain ever since he was 13.
In Jan. 2022, cancer was also found in his lungs and his hip. He had surgery and chemotherapy to treat it.
Two years later, in Feb. 2024, the cancer was found again in his lungs, something his mother told Fox News Digital pushed the family to begin checking things off his bucket list, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
"We’re focusing on making memories and doing bucket list items for him," Kerry Tegerdine said.
One of those bucket list items included owning a Ford Mustang — something Joseph Tegerdine’s father, Joe Tegerdine, made happen recently.
Kerry Tegerdine told Fox News Digital that her husband knew her son wouldn’t have enough time to save enough money to buy it himself — so her husband went out and bought him one.
Yet the good news for Joseph Tegerdine didn’t stop there.
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As the elder Joe Tegerdine posted on X, "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."
The post on X gained attention from many — including Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford Motors.
In a tweeted response, Farley shared his condolences for what the Tegerdines were going through — then offered both Joe Tegerdine and son Joseph Tegerdine the chance to drive a Ford Mustang Dark Horse on the track at the Ford Performance Racing School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This past week, the Tegerdines did just that.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, April 16, Joe Tegerdine told Fox News Digital that the experience was hard for him to put into words.
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"It’s hard to describe, [but] there’s this feeling of finality … This is probably our last time doing something like this," he said.
The pair traveled from Utah to North Carolina for the occasion, something Joe Tegerdine said almost didn’t happen due to his son’s increased hip pain after radiation over the last few weeks.
"He [Joseph] was like, ‘Dad, I don’t care if you have to roll me in on a gurney, I’m going to this driving school’," he recalled.
He added, "He [Joseph] had the most energy I’ve seen in months, just a super big smile and super excited."
The pair were taught how to properly drive the specialty vehicle and more before getting their chance behind the steering wheel.
"I mean, everything was just such a great adrenaline rush and a great experience," he said.
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Ford Motors even surprised the two with custom helmets for their driving school experience that matched the pattern of their sports car.
Ford Motor Company president and chief executive officer Jim Farley told Fox News Digital via email that the company was "simply happy [that] we could provide this experience to Joe and Joseph."
Joe Tegerdine shared that his son finished radiation on Monday, April 15, in an effort to stop the largest tumor on his lungs from growing further.
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However, Joseph Tegerdine had an increasing amount of pain in his hip where another large tumor lies.
"He’s exhausted," Joe Tegerdine said. "There are no treatments left for osteosarcoma — we’ve pretty much exhausted everything."
He added that the racing school experience was hard to describe due to its "feeling of finality."
"You just realize that you’re enjoying these precious little moments of smiles and excitement and not knowing how many more there are going to be before he passes," he said.
Joseph Tegerdine is still doing typical 18-year-old things like going to prom this month.
Dad Joe Tegerdine told Fox News Digital that his son and his girlfriend will take prom photos in front of the Ford Mustang.
"It’s a precious time," his father said.
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