Jack is a four-year-old boy from England with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. His illness means he can’t walk, but there is a surgery here in the U.S. that could help. The problem is that surgery costs a lot of money, and his family can’t afford it. So, three of his parents’ friends decided to raise money for young Jack by driving a trio of old Minis 4,000 miles across America.

As Jalopnik reports, the surgery Jack requires (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) is done at a hospital in St. Louis, Mo. The three men hope to raise £30,000 (around $45,000), which is half of what Jack needs. The other half has already been donated, and the trip the boys are embarking on is pre-paid by other means, therefore all the cash raised here goes directly to helping little Jack.

The three vintage Minis are red, white and blue –– like the American flag and the colors of Great Britain’s Union Jack. The cars were shipped from Southampton, England, in mid March, arriving at New York in early April. The three guys –– Alex Charlton, Peter Price and Dudley Brook –– were ready and waiting to begin their epic journey, a voyage they called The American Job, a play on the movie, The Italian Job. They even made this quirky poster.

Their route will take them to places such as New York, St. Louis, Nashville, Tampa, Myrtle Beach and Washington D.C. Currently the gang are in Raleigh, N.C., and by Wednesday they plan to take their little Minis onto the "Tail of The Dragon" (an infamous curvy section of road car guys travel thousands of miles to drive). Evidently these three are quite the motoring enthusiasts, and have already stopped by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as paying a visit to Daytona’s famed banked oval.



As of writing this, £7,591 have been raised, and the more the media are jumping on Jack’s inspiring story, the more that number continues to climb. For his parents, they simply pray young Jack will get the help he needs to one day walk by himself.

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Since birth, both he and his twin brother Charlie have suffered issues, remaining in intensive care for two months. During that first year, Charlie needed multiple operations, and by Jack’s first birthday, it became clear that he was having developmental issues. At age two, Jack still couldn’t sit up or crawl.

Even today, Jack can’t ride a bike or keep up with his friends at school. He can’t even get on and off the toilet without assistance, and moves only with the help of his walker.

“Our dream is that one day Jack may walk unaided and pain free alongside his brother Charlie,” said Jon, Jack’s father. “This will be such an emotional thing to see but would makes us the happiest parents in the world!!”

Driving a trio of vintage Minis 4,000 miles is quite the feat, and despite a few mechanical hiccups along the way, the group are still moving strong –– something we hope Jack will soon be doing on his own two feet.

You can help him get the surgery he deserves by following this link to donate.







Photos: Mini, The American Job