Bridgman teen with rare heart condition gets revamped car

BRIDGMAN, Mich. -- A special reminder of how some of the smallest towns have the biggest hearts.

In Bridgman, a family friend gave one boy with a rare heart condition a makeover `to his car after he was finally able to get his license.

Brock Jones is 17-years-old, but his growth has been slow due to his condition, meaning he had to hold off on getting his license and a car – two experiences most teenagers spend years looking forward to.

“Everyone in Bridgman knows Brock, he’s the sweetest kid you could ever imagine,” said Tony Jones, Brock’s father. “He was born with a hole in his heart, but the kid loves life.”

Brock just got his license and his own car to go with it.

“It’s a 2005 Mini Cooper with 150,000 miles on it, so it’s seen its wear and tear,” said Tony. “I’ve done a little bit on it but nothing like what Eddie could do.”

That would be Eddie Hojara, the owner of ELH Detailing and lifelong friend of Brock.

“I can’t imagine how hard of a life Brock has had, but one day I saw him driving - I know he just got his license - and I thought ‘Why don’t we do something nice for him?’” said Horjara.

Brock initially wasn’t sure what exactly Eddie was going to do.

“If he was just going to clean the inside, wash it and coat it, but then when it came home I looked at my mom and was like ‘Wait is this new, or is it 15 years old,’” said Brock.

To his surprise, his 15-year-old car became good as new.

“We did a paint correction – which takes out any kinds of scratches, defects – there was a bunch of trim on there that needed to be restored,” said Horjara. “We were basically just trying to make the car look brand new for Brock.”

And Brock – enjoying the spotlight he’s getting.

“I took one of my friends to tennis practice and he’s like ‘It looks like you just bought it’ and I’m like ‘no, it’s 15 years old’ he’s like ‘it is?’” said Brock, “So he was astonished.”

While his family is grateful for a friend like Eddie.

“Eddie spent all day on that car,” said Tony. “I dropped it off at 9 in the morning and he texted me at 5:30 that evening saying it was done, so for a kid to spend all of his Saturday on one car for my son really means a lot.”

Eddie said he just wanted to give his time and skills to someone like Brock who deserves it, and all three guys say good deeds like this are typical for people in Bridgman.