AN Islander with cancer has praised the “amazing” owner of a car dealership for “going above and beyond” to help her secure her dream yellow Mini – tracking it down even after it had been sold – to mark her completing treatment in the UK.
Antonia Rubio (24) decided to treat herself to a new car after she arrived back in Jersey following a ten-day stint in Southampton Hospital receiving radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer.
Miss Rubio had just been given permission to drive again and was specifically on the lookout for a yellow Mini.
“My nana had always wanted one but unfortunately never got the chance to own one before she passed away,” she explained.
Miss Rubio and her mother recently drove past St Aubin Car Sales and spotted a yellow Mini for sale on the forecourt.
“It felt like fate when we saw it,” she said. “We decided we definitely had to buy it the next day.”
However, when they went into the dealership the following morning, owner Peter Chapman informed Miss Rubio that he had sold it just two hours earlier.
Mr Chapman explained that Miss Rubio had been “so overjoyed when she walked in thinking she was going to buy it”.
“Her face dropped and she seemed really upset when she realised I’d sold it to someone else,” he said.
After chatting more to Miss Rubio and her mother, the St Aubin Car Sales owner found out about the 24-year-old’s battle with cancer and why the car meant so much to her.
“I knew I had to try my hardest to get it for her after what she’d been through,” said Mr Chapman.
Thankfully, the person who had bought the car was a long-standing customer of St Aubin Car Sales and Mr Chapman was able to give him a call.
“I think he thought I’d managed to sell it for more money at first,” laughed Mr Chapman.
“But once he realised it was genuine, he was happy for Antonia to have the car.”
Miss Rubio explained that she was “sobbing” when Peter called to let her know she could have the vehicle.
She described it as “one of the kindest things anyone has ever done”.
The yellow Mini is now in her driveway and has been named Dolly after her late grandmother.
Miss Rubio said: “When you find out you have cancer, you’re let down by a lot of people you think are going to be there for you.
“But strangers and people you wouldn’t expect show kindness to make up for that.”
She continued: “It just means so much to me. When I was in treatment, I was in survival mode and was really strong. It felt like nothing could get me down.
“But since I finished my treatment it’s really hit me. Now that I have had time to process what happened, I’ve been crying every day.
“However, Peter’s actions showed me that although bad things have happened this year, there is still kindness in the world.”
Mr Chapman said: “I didn’t do anything special – it was just a couple of phone calls, but I’m glad it worked out.”
But for Miss Rubio, his actions restored her “faith in humanity”.
She will receive her results in January to determine whether the cancer treatment has worked.
All being well, she will have a final scan in July and could get the “all clear” in August.
Miss Rubio said: “I don’t want having cancer to define me, but I do think it will be the making of me. From now on, life will be different.
“I’ve seen it in a new way – you have time to reflect a lot when you’re in hospital for long periods of time.”
She added: “When I’m able to live my life fully again, I’m not going to let anything get in my way.”
