Buying a new car can be a big step. For many it is a high point marking financial independence. A new car can also change your attitude, giving your ego a boost and causing you to nurture that new Chevy Aveo or Scion tC like a Ferrari Testarossa. Yet despite what hard-core enthusiasts might say, rarely does it represent the kind of cathartic, life-altering moment that changes the very way you relate to those around you. When people say their lives have been changed by the car they drive, it takes some convincing to place their experience on the same life map that Susanne Tolbert has navigated. She lost her third son, Chance, nearly 13 years ago. The tragedy stopped her cold, and her life ceased to be fruitful.

“I did nothing but work and be a mom to my other kids and avoided anything that had to do with socializing with other people,” said Tolbert.