Action 13 helps grieving family return vehicle they couldn't use

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A few months back, Eyewitness News Reporter Deborah Wrigley brought us a story about a young man who passed away from a condition similar to muscular dystrophy.

Before he died, James Nguyen's final 3 wishes were granted, including the opportunity to meet Rockets point guard Patrick Beverly. Sadly, James passed away not long after.

Before he died James' family purchased a van equipped with features to accommodate his needs. Even though James never got the chance to use the vehicle the dealership said they couldn't take it back, so the family turned to us for help.

Before his conditioned worsened, James Nguyen's family wanted to take him to Disney World for his graduation.

"We had no way of getting him out of the house or to Disney World, so we shopped around for about 2 months," said James' Aunt Carrie Nguyen.

Carrie ordered the van from Toyota and had a another company install separate features that James needed to travel comfortably.

"So Toyota, and they said you can finance the whole thing," said Nguyen.

Carrie wound up financing 60-thousand dollars for the van, and its medical add-ons. Not only would the van make it easier for him to get to Disney, but would be used for his other transportation needs as well. Unfortunately James' condition worsened and he passed away before his vacation.

"James passed and we can't do anything with it. All I'm hoping Toyota will do it to see if they'd be willing to take it back," said Nguyen.

Carrie says she spoke to the dealership to see if they'd take it back and reverse the loan. However, because it was furnished with aftermarket add-ons, her request could not be fulfilled. So we reached out to Toyota to see if anything could be done for the family. After we were able to get in touch with the right people, Toyota made a decision.

"When we heard about the Nguyen family's story, and the recent passing of James, we knew we had to do something. We were really inspired by James, and his passion for life, and his spirit. So we knew we had to do the right thing and buy the buy the vehicle back," said Mark Oldenburg who is the Toyota Mobility Manager.

It's a decision that's giving the Nguyen family help with closure.

"I'm very grateful that Toyota is doing this for me, and my family," said Nguyen.

Toyota went on to tell us this is something they normally don't do. But in this case, they wanted to do everything possible to help the family. The family says they can now do what's most important, focus on the memory James, which will live on in their hearts.