Three-Time Cancer Patient Wins a Corvette Stingray from the Dale Jr. Foundation

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Three-Time Cancer Patient Wins a Corvette Stingray from Dale Jr. Foundation
Photo Credit: witn.com

Wendy Smith hopes her luck is changing.

After being diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer recently, Smith found out a few days ago that she was the winner of a 2014 Cyber Gray Corvette Stingray in a fundraiser sponsored by the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Foundation.

“While I want to live, live, live while I’m here,” Smith told WCTI News Channel 12 reporter Rebekah Thurston. “It’s still a little depressing to have to go through that but this call was amazing. Since then, both of us, my husband and I, have both been pretty happy. It’s been a blessing. One that I didn’t expect but aren’t those the best kind?”

Speaking of the best kind, her new Stingray came with the top-of-the-line 3LT package, complete with carbon fiber interior, 19″ Z51 5-split spoke Black aluminum wheels (20″ rear wheels), 6-speed paddle shift automatic transmission, carbon fiber dual roof package, and Bose premium audio with 10 speaker surround sound, among other goodies.

All that technical talk seems insignificant, however, when you stop and consider the winner’s medical history.

Wendy says she has had to battle breast cancer three times in the last seven years.

Still, she was thinking about others when she plopped down $25 earlier this year to buy one of the raffle tickets from the Earnhardt Foundation, which wound up selling all the 8,888 tickets and raising nearly $225,000 to help underprivileged people, especially children.

Smith was working at her job for the City of Greenville, N.C., when she got a call from Dale’s sister, Kelly Earnhardt Miller, who oversees the foundation.

“She said, do you know why I’m calling?” Smith recalled of what Miller said to her.

“Well, I hope you’re calling to tell me I won the car.”

“Well, actually, I am.”

“No way!”

It was true, though, as Smith traveled to Mooresville, N.C., to pick up her new Stingray and meet Junior, who also paid all taxes and fees on the new car for Wendy.

“Unbelievable,” Smith said. “I don’t know how else to say it. You know, things like this just don’t happen to me.” Co-worker Colleen Sicley was thrilled to find out about her friend’s good fortune.

“When we heard about it at public works, we were so happy cause we thought that it couldn’t have been given to a more deserving person,” Sicley said. Since her good fortune, Wendy has been taking co-workers and friends for rides in her shiny new Corvette.

“We do have some bills that we’d like to pay off,” she admitted, “but we’re going to have a little fun with it first.”

We’re glad to see a Stingray bringing a ray of joy into the life of someone who can definitely use some cheery news these days and wish her the best of luck.

As Wendy says, “Good things can happen even when you feel like you’re at the bottom.”


Source:
WITN.com and WNCT.com

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