Dear Jeep, 

I want to thank you for giving me some of my most special memories since I was little. 

My family has always been a Jeep family, specifically Jeep Wranglers. We had a little bit of time where we took a break from the Jeep family. Honestly, I don’t know how or why, because that big piece of metal that has 4 tires, 6 cylinder motor and a removable top is a necessity in life. A Jeep has brought so much joy in my family lives and especially in my life and I’ll explain why. 

My parents had a 79 Black Jeep CJ-5, 86 Blue Jeep CJ-7, 82 Brown Jeep CJ-7 before I was born. When I was born they bought a brand new 1997 Red Jeep Wrangler. It was the prettiest thing I think I’ve ever seen. That candy apple red with a black soft top. It was one of those memories that you kept with you as a kid. My dad sold the Jeep because it wasn’t a “practical” family car. As I got older we talked about getting another one. The talk went on for years but finally one day we got this 1992 Sahara Green Jeep Wrangler that was army green. It was covered in rust. We drove that thing like we stole it. We took to the mountains and went off-roading. We went mudding in it and even had some medical emergencies in it. Sometimes it would run, sometimes it wouldn’t. We drove it on a wing and prayer. We started to have more problems out of it then we could count so we ended up selling it. 

I had just graduated from college after about four years and had a steady paying job. I hated that we didn’t have a Jeep anymore, so I went down to the dealership and got a brand new Willys Jeep Gladiator, blacked out. I loved it. It was so much fun to drive. Taking the top off and feeling the wind and cruising down the road. Throwing the Jeep wave as another Jeep would pass from the opposite way. Getting ducked when you were in a parking lot. The only thing that sucked was not looking at the radar before you left home and getting stuck in a storm. I loved that Jeep. As time went on I changed jobs, and financially things changed, so I went with something with a smaller payment. As time went on, though, I missed having a Jeep so much. 

So, the hunt began. 

I searched for months and months for a Jeep, preferably an older model that was 4-door and about 2010-2015 model. I looked from Michigan to Florida to South Carolina to Texas. I couldn’t find one. As I was looking, something unexpected happened to me. I got diagnosed with a rare heart cancer called Primary Cardiac Intimal Sarcoma. The chances of getting it is only 0.0001% to 0.0003%. I had open heart surgery and  started treatment chemo, but it still didn’t stop me from looking. I had saved to buy this Jeep and I didn’t have anything better to do while getting treatment. Finally, during treatment I found a Jeep that I didn’t have any desire to buy, but my dad told me to go and look at it. The weekend came and we went to look at a black two door 2012 Jeep Wrangler with a hard top. Not the Jeep that I wanted. I wanted to carry people around and fit my friends, family, my dog, and stuff inside whenever I wanted to. The lady who owned it had owned it since she had turned sixteen. She had all the original paperwork and all the mechanical paperwork as well. It was a well maintained Jeep. Me, Mom, and Dad took a spin around the neighborhood. I got into the Jeep expecting to not like it at all, but I loved it. I never realized that I would like a two door Jeep, but I was hooked. It drove great and I liked the size. 

I bought it. I drove that black two door Jeep home with me that day. This is where I tell you how much I needed that Jeep. Ever since I’ve had it, the top’s pretty much been off of it. I don’t drive it every day, but when it’s sunny I’m usually in it. Even in the fall I bundle up and still ride around with the top off. This Jeep has given me freedom in my cancer. Ever since I’ve been diagnosed, my usual Saturday routine– if I felt well– was me and my dog Bertie getting breakfast and coffee at the local coffee shop. Get our favorite playlist going and ride back roads until someone calls to see where we are at. We listened to old country, new country, sad songs, rock songs, church hymns, you can name it we probably listened to it. It was our time together. I rubbed her back while I sang like I could carry a tune, and she held her head out the window so the breeze could blow that blonde hair of hers. 

When we went for rides, I didn’t feel like I was sick. I felt normal, loved, free, and like I had no worries in the world. We would ride around for hours in the Jeep. The breeze on my face and the wind in Bertie’s hair. I don’t have any hair, so I can just imagine that. Haha! I had driven back roads of my town exploring where my family was raised and walked to school and church because they didn’t have a car to carry them from one place to another. I climbed mountains to look at the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee where I live and always have. I’ve carried friends in pouring rain because we made the mistake all of us Jeep owners make and didn’t check the radar. I have driven my Jeep with no destination in mind to escape the reality of cancer.  We’ve made memories that I’ll never forget and if it wasn’t for Jeep I wouldn’t have experienced. 

So, thank you, Jeep for making a vehicle that has taken me through good times, funny times, scary times and sad times. I can always count on my 2012 2-Door Jeep Wrangler to brighten up my day.  

Sincerely, 

Taylor Blanton