Lifting Up Crystal

A used Ford Flex named “Ruby Dee” (after the American actress and civil rights activist) has been by Crystal’s side since 2017. But, after a move from Florida to Minnesota – made in three separate trips due to COVID travel restrictions – Ruby Dee started having some serious problems that forced Crystal to think about junking her.⁠
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The only problem was, Crystal needed a car for her two jobs and to take her 8-year-old son, who has a medical condition, to specialists and clinical trials. So, she turned to rideshare apps, only to be denied service multiple times because of the medical equipment they needed to bring along. Fortunately, when Crystal’s eldest son learned about her car issues, he traveled from San Diego to let her borrow his car until he returned home from deployment.⁠
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Now with a reliable way to get around, Crystal could start thinking about solutions for Ruby Dee. That’s when she turned to The Lift Garage. “I thought it was a doomed phone call,” Crystal said, reflecting on when we rang her to share what needed fixing and how much it would cost. That had, unfortunately, been a stressful week for Crystal. She told us that she was in Target when she got that phone call, preparing for a week-long hospital stay for her son’s upcoming procedure – his 12th.⁠
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“I have a sick little boy, and I work hard to take care of him and pay his expenses on top of our regular stuff. Sometimes, it just feels overwhelming. I sat outside in my car in Target crying, because I felt like, just once, just finally, I got a break. We were able to get my car fixed.”⁠
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Once her car was repaired, Crystal immediately loaded it up with her two dogs for a trip to the dog park. “We slipped and slid through the slush and came back filthy, frozen, and happy.”⁠
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Thank you, Minneapolis, for making safe cars possible for neighbors like Crystal. When you support low-cost car repair, you’re supporting our community on the road to more secure lives.