Hello, my name is Joie Vaughan,

I am the president here at Amazing Muscle Cars. I hope you have arrived on this page purely by accident and we pray that you never have to face an ordeal like the one that sadly inspired us to build the Highway of Hope. We aren't building a real highway as in asphalt and steam rollers, but an internet highway of people and their muscle cars that stretches across North America from the very tip of north west Alaska across the Canadian border and all the way down to the south east coast of Florida. Spread out over this vast distance are the members of our muscle car community.

The highway of hope started out as a response to a family crisis that has happened to a member of our registry. Amazing Muscle Cars started this fund to help lessen the financial burden associated with the high cost of specialized cancer treatment, during a time of a crisis. OUr main purpose is to spread the awareness of cancer and to help prevent this from happening to other people. There is no way of knowing the extent of this devastation until it happens to you, especially where there was no warning and this sudden illness is upon you and there is no way anyone could have prepared you for such a dramatic turn of events in your life.

Matt Wilson has a painful message for us all that life can change in an instant and that bad things can happen to good people and when you least expect it. Matt has a whole new perspective on life as he watches powerless to help his wife while she fights the battle of her life. Valeri's sudden illness and unexpected very rare form of cancer that threatens her life at stage 4 and is very serious. Let this be a reminder to us all not to take our health and our loved ones for granted and lets pull together to raise money to fight this deadly cancer and for further cancer research. This could happen to anyone, and we as a muscle car community are no exception, so lets get together and make a difference in the fight against cancer and commit to raising awareness and funds for Cancer research through Gateway for Cancer Research.

Joie Vaughan
President & CEO, 1512 HURST SC/Rambler Registry

 

Living in the most beautiful part of the country for mountain senery, who can resist taking pictures of Mt. Baker, I have chosen this mountain for our Highway of Hope. In my case it is my hope that this mountain will always look as it does in this picture right now. But in cancer patients it is a life threatening disease ticking away with no way to stop it, unseen by the naked eye, it has it's own agenda and there will come a time it will rear it's ugly head and bring forth a wrath bigger than can be imagined or foreseen and know one is ever ready for a disaster, nor for the shock of being unprepared for how quickly life can change for any of us. This is a sort of paralell comparison so to speak, the only true thing we can compare is the amount of devistation that can happen in any given moment in time.

Mt. Baker is actually located in Washington state about 50 miles from the registry office here in Mission BC. This is really a volcano that has been sitting quietly since it's last eruption in 1880. Experts now say that this volcano is now steaming and is threatens the surrounding towns. There is over one mile deep of snow on this mountain, so to say the least we can expect all of our low lands to flood. Our history books show us the devastation and how the real possibility of that is upon us again. Ok, so you are probably wondering why I am telling you about this mountain, and yes I am going somewhere with this so read on....

I have been asked many times, "Where is Mission British Columbia?", Do you live up by those Rocky mountains, well no, but I am actually surrounded by mountains, I live in what is called the Fraser Valley, which is situated down in the very bottom of the valley between the mountains. Lots and lots of mountains, now, some folks are still under the impression that Canadians live in igloos which is strange because then who would live in the caves up in the mountains??? Beats me.... well anyway... getting back to the mountain, Mission is a relatively small town of 20,000 people, and only 1 mile from the registry office (joie's house) is the fastest 1/4 mile race track in the country.

Mission Raceway Park, this race track was constructed at zero sea level and is one of the nicest smoothest straight tracks in the country, which is why it has broken many NHRA records. We purchased our house up on the hill here in Mission, because we would be able to hear the race cars from our back yard. What's not to love about that eh! (I like the test and tune days the best) Now you are probably wondering what does the race track have to do with the mountain, well remember what I said about zero sea level, if that mountain blows, it threatens all the surrounding towns and yes even Mission, so short of a miracle you can say good bye to our race track. Not to mention the flooding and that we could get some horrible thing called black lung from the ash that will rain down on us just like what happened at Mt. St Helens. This will definitely be a huge natural disaster if it were to occur. And I will also mention that we live on the largest fault line on the planet that runs the length of our BC coast and the some fear that the mountain going off will set off a catastrophic earth quake and some speculate that small chunks of our west coast will simply fall into the ocean, causing even further devastation with a tsunami like wave. Now again, what does all this have to do with the e Highway of Hope, well actually nothing, it is simply a comparison in logic, Although it may or not ever happen in my life time, I still worry about it every time I see it.

I live with the possible threat of that mountain blowing everyday, yet I rarely give a second thought to a the kind of devastation that would occur because of a health issue, remember that bridge you thought you could cross when you came to it. Think again. Unlike a natural disaster that effects literally hundreds of thousands of people, your personal health will effect only you, your immediate family and friends. This can be a very lonely and frightening time, a catastrophic illness can devastate your life, no different than the chain of events with Mt Baker that could happen at any moment and us as human beings have absolutely no control over when it happens or how bad the damage will be. Valeri has fallen onto hard times that will change her and her family forever and sadly there is little if nothing we as humans can do to change that. We do however have a spirit that knows no boundaries and can shine across the country to offer a helping hand and a prayer from our hearts for Valeri and for all the cancer sufferers who are desperately waiting for a cure and a little comfort knowing there is a continent size community of muscle car enthusiasts banning together to make a difference.

Everyday, I see this mountain covered in snow, I am thankful for another day and I remind myself to be thankful for all the small gifts of love from our children and I hope by the time they are 41 there will be no more cancer!

Joie Vaughan
President & CEO, 1512 HURST SC/Rambler Registry