Niagara car club treats local cancer patient to exotic car rallies

A local Niagara car club is trying to “pump the tires” of a young man who was diagnosed with terminal cancer a year ago.

Austin Martel is a huge fan of classic cars and hot rods, and over the next month the club will help him fulfil a lifelong dream.

About a year ago, Martel knew something was not right with his body.

“Suddenly my legs started hurting, ended up going to the hospital a few times,” said Martel. “They did some checks and then eventually I got an MRI scan, and then that was when they found the lymphoma spreading.”

He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma, the most common type of blood cancer.

“It was pretty shocking — I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said Martel. “A little bit scary, but I kind of just try to stay positive through all of this anyways.”

The 21-year-old is now confined to a wheelchair, and while he is fighting for his life, he remains hopeful.

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“I’ve been going through a lot of radiation, chemo, cell replacement stuff that they think might work, but it’s not a 100 per cent chance,” said Martel.

Martel was a mechanic before his diagnosis and has always loved cars, so when the Niagara Drifters car club heard his story, they wanted to do whatever they could to “rev his engine.”

“And I was him at one point in my life, and I wanted to be a mechanic, and I can’t imagine being diagnosed with a horrible, horrible disease like he has, it’s terrible,” said Ray St. Jean with the Niagara Drifters. “So it really touches my heart and I just want to do something special for him.”

For the next month, the Drifters will be holding car rallies throughout Niagara and will be taking Martel out in some classic cars.

On Monday, he sat in a 1948 Austin A40 Truck.

“On the 21st of this month, we’re going to have him at an event: take him for a ride in an exotic car again on May 31, and again on June 6, and check out our big car show,” said St. Jean.

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“I am, like, extremely grateful for this,” said Martel.

At a car show at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls, Austin was surrounded by classic cars, but it was a Mazda that caught his eye.

“The Mazda RX-7 with the flippy headlights,” said Martel.

The owner of the vehicle was more than happy to show off what was under the hood, to Martel’s delight.

“Felt like it had always been a part of my life ever since I was a little kid, like even before school I was collecting Hot Wheels,” said Martel. “I love the loud engines, the rumbling — driving is fun.”

While Martel is loving what he has seen so far, he’s really going to enjoy the next couple of weeks.

A GoFundMe page called “Giant Act of Kindness for Austin Martel” has been started with the goal to raise $7,500.

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