I want to share something deeply personal, something that shook us this morning—but also reminded us of human kindness in its purest form.
My son, Jason, is a quadriplegic. He uses a wheelchair. For him, life isn’t about what he can’t do—but how ingeniously he can do things differently. One of those differences is his specially modified van: lowered floor, custom ramps, adaptive controls, everything designed so he can drive himself, maintain his independence, and engage with the world on his own terms.
So this morning, when he wheeled himself out to get ready for the day, something was wildly wrong.
His van’s front driver-side tire had come off. Completely. The lug nuts were gone. The rim and tire were damaged. It wasn’t just a flat—it was sabotage. We suspect someone tried to remove the wheel in the night, realized they couldn’t use a normal jack because of how the van was built, and just walked away, leaving the van inoperable.
To most people, a missing wheel is a huge inconvenience. To Jason, it’s a crisis.
The Stakes Behind the Wheel
For someone with full mobility, a missing tire might mean calling a service and waiting a few hours. For Jason, though, it’s not just about wheels—it’s about mobility itself. Without the van, he can’t easily leave the house, can’t make his appointments, can’t go to work or social events, can’t fulfill obligations he’s worked so hard to maintain. It’s not merely an inconvenience—it threatens his autonomy.
So we scrambled. Called around endlessly, trying to find a towing service or repair shop that could handle a van modified in such an unusual way. Many services refused outright—either they lacked the equipment, or they said the job was “too complicated.”
Enter Jason and On Time Towing
Then we reached Jason (yes, same name) from On Time Towing in Richmond, Virginia. He arrived in a flatbed tow truck—but as soon as he saw the van, he didn’t balk. He didn’t refuse. He just looked at it, scratched his head a little, and then got to work.
Because the van’s floor is lowered (to make room for ramps, seating modifications, and accessibility), placing a standard jack beneath it was nearly impossible. But Jason (the tow operator) got creative. He rigged a system to very carefully pull part of the van onto the flatbed, just enough to let him get beneath it. Every movement had to be deliberate, precise, and gentle—no room for error.
He inspected the hub assembly. Thankfully, that part was still intact. Then, rather than haul the van away, he offered to install the spare tire right there on the spot. In scorching heat and sticky humidity, he worked—sweaty, determined, methodical—until the spare was secured. He refused to leave until he was absolutely certain the van was safe to drive.
Because of him, my son didn’t have to cancel his day. He was able to drive himself to an important evening event. A potentially devastating setback was transformed into a story about grit—and compassion.