Car enthusiasts plan to join funeral procession for teen who lost cancer fight
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KANSAS CITY, MO (WDAF) — Local car enthusiasts will line up in the funeral procession for a Missouri teen who lost his fight with cancer last week.
Rides for Hope Kansas City is organizing the local effort to honor Alec Ingram, who battled osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, for more than four years.
Alec died on Thursday. He loved cars so much that his final wish was to have super cars take him to his final resting place.
“It’s not every day that we get a chance to help somebody fulfill their last wish, and it’s not every day that a 14-year-old boy, who has cancer, asks you to do it.” said Tracey Anderson with Rides for Hope KC. “But when he does, you show up.”
“Car communities are very tight-knit,” added Chuong Nguyen, who founded the group last summer. “Everybody kind of knows each other, and we’re kind of intertwined.”
Rides for Hope KC plans to take a caravan of cars from the metro to Washington, Missouri, on Sunday morning
“You feel like it’s just the proper way to send him off,” Nguyen said.
Alec’s story first gained traction on Facebook. Dana Manley created a group detailing his final wish. The private group, called Sports Cars for Alec, currently has more than 8,000 members.
On Monday, Manley estimated they would have 3,500 cars as part of Alec’s funeral procession
“I have people from California, Washington State, Michigan, from all over the country to fulfill this boy’s last wish,” Manley said over the phone. “It’s going to be enormous.”
Manley said Alec’s family appreciates the love and support from the car community.
“They say as hard as it is to have lost a son, just seeing the support they’re getting is giving them so much joy,” she recalled.
Rides for Hope KC is inviting owners of all makes, models and years to join the KC caravan.
“[We] just say, ‘Hey we hear you little buddy, and we know you had a long tough road with this cancer battle,” Anderson said. “But we’re here to support you, and we know you’re with us as we keep driving on.”
The KC caravan will gather at Kansas City Kansas Community College on Sunday at 6:15 a.m. and depart at 6:45 a.m. Click here for more details.
Alec’s funeral service is planned for 1 p.m., followed by the processional.
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