Claire Reid
A single dad of six who was forced to cycle 16 miles to work every day was overwhelmed after being gifted a new car.
Isaac Taylor, from California, was involved in an accident six months ago which left his car completely destroyed.
But the determined dad-of-six, whose kids range in age from three to 19, knew that he still had to put food on the table, so he didn’t let it stop him going to work a 10-hour graveyard shift every day to provide for his family.
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Taylor would cycle eight miles, complete his shift, and then cycle the eight miles home again.
He said: “It was early in the morning after working a full graveyard shift, 10-hour shift. It was very tough.”
He added: “I’ve been through a lot. So, struggle is just part of getting to the next big thing.”
And he’s not exaggerating - Taylor has had a tough life, spending years in and out of homelessness before getting himself back on his feet.
After hearing his plight, National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides Program, non-profit Family Promise of Sacramento, Caliber Collision and Travelers Insurance came together to give Taylor a newly refurbished car completely free of charge.
The kind-hearted move left Taylor ‘crying like a baby’.
"I cried like a baby," said Taylor after being given the keys to his pristine 2019 Hyundai Elantra.
"Tears of joy. Tears of feeling the pain of riding the bike back and forth. It all set in — what I went through to get to where I'm at now."
He told KOVR: “How could I feel like I deserve it? Knowing there are people that go through worse situations than I am in. How did I become so fortunate?”
Taylor went on: “I have peace. I have a peace of mind.
“It’s amazing, I’m living the dream right now. This is my best life right now.” Has someone been chopping onions?
Taylor, who works as a security, said the kind gesture reinforced his belief that there are ‘wonderful people in the world’ and said he hopes to one day have the chance to pay the kindness forward.
He added: "It's a great world we live in, even though there are a lot of bad things that go on.”
The Recycled Rides program has given away more than 3,000 cars to those who need them - like Taylor - since it was set up back in 2017.