CSN Harold’s, a collision repair center in Edmonton, Alberta, finished one of its most important repair projects when it returned a 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 Heavy Duty to its 18-year-old owner in July.
Carter Laframboise, a recent high school graduate, drove the Sierra off the shop’s lot after months of repair. It was his request as part of a Make-A-Wish grant.
Carter lives with cystic fibrosis (CF). He was diagnosed with the genetic disorder when he was 2 years old.
Technicians, friends and family pose with Carter Laframboise, center with red star, in his refurbished truck.
“He’s been through a lot over the years,” said his father, Dave Laframboise. “He’s an exceptional kid. Just so deserving of this, and the Make-A-Wish foundation, it’s giving him a dream come true.”
Make-A-Wish Canada, which vows to “create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses,” has reported granting more than 39,000 wishes across the country. Many children and young adults ask for family vacations, but Carter wanted something longer-lasting.
“He is such a truck boy,” said Carter’s mother, Kim LaFramboise. “Every time we pull up beside a nice truck on the road, he makes me wind down the window so he can listen to it. He’s very big into trucks.”
When he was 17, Carter asked the organization to find a shop to repair his father’s hand-me-down GMC pickup. CSN Harold’s stepped up after hearing the request for help. One of the local shop’s owners recently had a child and had a scare with CF. After his closeness with the disorder, the co-owner said it was important to help with the request.
CF is a genetic disorder that affects the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems. The rare condition impacts one in every 3,848 live births, according to Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
Perry Brooks, a spokesperson for Douglas Group, the owners of three CSN shops, said the truck’s repairs required the help of a community. Another CSN franchise owner, Lift Group, also jumped in to help.
“Once we started getting it going, we partnered up with the Lift Group, which owns a few other CSN collisions, along with a whole bunch of other companies and suppliers. Everybody got together, and we made this thing work,” Brooks said. “There’s a lot of unsung heroes in this story as well.”
Brooks described the truck as being in "rough shape" when it arrived at the shop. Rust had eaten through the panels, leaving holes large enough to fit a hand through. The stereo was no longer in working order, and the seats needed patching. Several hundred thousand kilometers had built up on the odometer.
But the shop rebuilt everything in the truck. Brooks said every new part put into the car was donated from nearby shops and several suppliers. The GMC was newly refitted with body panels, a box liner, a new stereo system and seat covers.
“It was built from the ground up,” Brooks added. “It was one of those things that when you started getting into it, there was way more work than was planned.”
Several high school friends flanked Carter when the technicians revealed the truck to the new owner July 24. The friends cheered as the pickup shone in the sunlight before several hopped into the car.
“It almost feels like a new truck,” Carter said after getting behind the wheel.
Brooks believes the pickup will be operational for several years. He said Carter will be able to drive in truck-loving Alberta for a long while.
“He’ll be driving that for many, many years. It’s in very good shape now,” he said. “It’s probably the nicest 2006 truck around.”
Ben Shimkus