Car Grumps #21 6/29/21 - On May 15, 2015 Andrew Lee, age 19, was informed he had a rare cancer known as HLRCC and at Stage 4 it wouldn't respond to treatment and there was no known cure. He was attending his freshman year at the University of New Hampshire. Andrew didn't give up and Mass General Hospital referred him to the National Cancer Institute at NIH where he would be number 42 of an experimental treatment with the simple goal of extending Andrew's life. Andrew would continue to test 8 different trials. Andrew found happiness in one thing, his dream car. Three weeks after being diagnosed his father, Bruce, had him in a Nissan GTR. The car became his cure, an escape from his illness. As he continued to support car shows, more and more people began to ask him questions and stir support. Word began to spread. He realized his new vehicle, mated with his story, could be a way to make a difference in the community. He created Driven to Cure and suddenly cars and cancer awareness was a cause bigger than himself. He upgraded the car to perfection and began to tour it wherever he could spreading his story. Driven to Cure has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research and through awareness of his rare illness more and more people found a way to fight and even beat their cancer. Sadly on April 21st, 2019, surrounded by his family, his cancer took his life. The story didn't end there, as Andrew's father Bruce Hatch Lee, who had been with his son through every step of the journey took the reigns. We're going to talk to Bruce about Andrew's story and how he went from being completely oblivious to the car world to being thrust into a community that was more supportive than anything he'd ever encountered and he continues to fight for those suffering from cancer and how a boy, his car, and a community gave others a fighting chance. Hit Play To Listen
3 Comments
6/30/2021 02:09:23 pm
Andrew was a remarkable young man. Driven to Cure is helping rare cancer patients get life saving treatment. I cry whenever I read Andrew's story and then take heart on what he started with his passion for cars to create awareness for HLRCC and rare cancers.
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I.J. Hudson
6/30/2021 06:05:21 pm
Glad you gave airtime to Bruce and Driven to Cure. DTC and the HLRCC Alliance are the "we will help you" folks when people need help......and THEY DO. It's good people doing good things.
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Valerie
7/2/2021 10:54:45 pm
Bruce thanks for sharing your son’s story
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