Here’s why this dad chose a Mustang for teen son’s first car, instead of buying a ‘beater’

Many parents believe a child’s first car should be old and inexpensive, teaching them the value of hard work and responsibility.

Moreover, these cars come with cheaper insurance, a practical benefit.

Yet, Joe Tegerdine and his wife Kerry are praised for buying their 18-year-old son, Joseph, a powerful Ford Mustang, deviating from this norm.

Joseph has a rare bone cancer called osteosarcoma. Surprisingly, he has lived longer than doctors expected.

Despite working at Sodalicious to save money for a Mustang, time was running out for him to achieve his goal and enjoy the car.

“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,” Joe wrote on X, which has almost 14 million views.

“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,'” the post concluded.

Joe’s post about buying his son his first car prompted Ford CEO Jim Farley to invite Joseph to visit Ford Performance Racing School in April.

After receiving his terminal diagnosis, he talked to his wife, expressing doubts about his son’s ability to save money in time. So, he decided to buy the Mustang himself.

“He really wants to live life to the fullest,” he explained, adding that he does not want to spend his last few months hooked up to machines.

In 2019, 13-year-old Joseph, an active sports enthusiast, complained of knee pain.

Following X-rays and an MRI, doctors diagnosed him with osteosarcoma, a fast-growing bone cancer common among teens, TODAY noted.

Joseph swiftly began chemotherapy a mere 10 days after his initial diagnosis.

Following treatment, he underwent a surgery called rotationplasty on his right leg, where the ankle was reattached to the thigh bone to improve mobility with a prosthetic leg.

After the surgery, Joe underwent surgery followed by chemotherapy until the fall of 2019, with initial success.

He began physical therapy and joined the swim team.

However, in 2022, the cancer spread to his lungs, requiring two surgeries.

In January 2023, he started a clinical trial but had to stop after three weeks due to cancer returning in his left leg.

Recently, it was found that the cancer had reappeared in his lungs, leading to another round of radiation treatment.

“As far as ‘cancer kids’ go, I feel like I’m pretty average, if not below average,” Joseph said, adding that he has encountered some truly remarkable kids who represent the highest example of strength and resilience, showing exceptional kindness, humor, and positivity, reflecting genuine goodness.

Joe and Kerry asked their son about more exciting experiences, but Joseph prefers spending time with his family in Springville, Utah, including his parents, older sisters Grace and London, and younger brother Langston.

He finds his everyday life perfect, with his first car, beloved family, and a girlfriend he always hangs out with, playing the piano, and reading books that catch his interest.

Although he’s unsure about the future, he feels fulfilled in his daily life for now.

“I’ve managed to make my day-to-day life fulfilling for however long I have,” Joseph said.

Four Tegerdine family members returned from a brief trip to Japan earlier this month, fulfilling another of Joseph’s wishes.

Despite enjoying traveling together, they’ve had to cancel trips due to Joseph’s health issues.

Joe said that if Joseph felt well, they would go without hesitation.

They seized an opportunity before Joseph’s upcoming radiation treatment. They promptly arranged the trip to Japan, departing just two weeks later.

The family has accepted Joseph’s diagnosis in their own ways, which Joe acknowledges as difficult conversations.

Despite the challenges, Joe sees the positive side and is grateful for their time with Joseph.

Meanwhile, Joseph has a few items left on his bucket list, including a beach vacation with his family and a road trip with his little brother, where he’ll drive his beloved first car.