Our Inspiration
It had been almost 4 years since Brett & Brooke David’s father, Irv David, passed away suddenly from his fourth heart attack. By that time, Brett had proved the skeptics wrong and was successfully running the family business. After his father’s passing, Brett proudly placed his nameplate, on his desk, next to his father’s, as a constant reminder of the legacy he vowed to continue.
Brett and his father were very close and shared a love for cars and boats. He missed him dearly. It was no surprise when one afternoon, a father and his son, who appeared to be younger than Brett, came into the dealership, that Brett felt a connection to them. Although you could tell the young man was impressed with the cars, Brett immediately sensed a sadness in his eyes. As he walked around the showroom slowly touching each vehicle, the father began to tell Brett his story. His son had a rare form of cancer and they didn’t know how long he would survive. Without any hesitation, Brett turned to his son and asked him if he liked Lamborghini’s and would he like to go for a test drive.
His father waited patiently for them to return. As they pulled up and his son got out of the car, Brett noticed his father had tears in his eyes. The same young person that walked into the showroom earlier looking solemn and introverted, was smiling from ear to ear and talking to Brett, asking him every question about the car. The father hugged his son and told Brett he couldn’t remember the last time he saw his son smile.
It was at that moment, that Brett gained a new appreciation for the incredible business their father had left him and his sister. Growing up at the dealership, he sometimes took those amazing cars for granted that most people only get to see on TV and dream about. That day, to Brett’s surprise, it was not about how much power was under the hood, but about the healing powers these cars possessed.
Brett kept in touch with the young man, keeping up with his condition while always being aware of the difference between his monotone voice at the beginning of his conversations, to the upbeat tone after talking about these cars. He often thought about the first day they had met, of course prior to learning of his illness, and feeling guilty about his initial impression as he observed a father and son spending time together. But the more Brett thought about the positive reaction a car ride did for someone with a serious health condition, his heartache slowly turned, for the very first time, to a purpose. Brett shared the experience with his sister, and together came up with the idea of sharing their world of exotic automobiles with children battling life-threatening illnesses.
Ride2Revive was founded by Brett & Brooke David, in 2011. Once a child is diagnosed with cancer or any other childhood disease, every day is a new struggle. Ride2Revive’s mission is to provide Miles of Smiles on the Road to Recovery for children battling life-threatening illnesseswith memorable, adrenaline-filled driving experiences, meant to distract them from their health-related struggles and revitalize their senses. This unique, altruistic organization reflects the life-changing impact that fun, uplifting and positive experiences have on these patients, and therefore, their families.
About a year later, that young man’s father came into the dealership asking for Brett. I told him that I was his Mom and that Brett wasn’t in at the moment, but would he like to leave a message. He took a seat at my desk, took a deep breath as his eyes filled with tears and said, “Brett was very nice to my son. I brought him in one day and Brett took him for a ride in a Lamborghini and it made him so happy.” Before he finished his sentence, I knew exactly who he was talking about. My heart sank as he continued to speak of his son in the past tense. He said it had been months since he had passed away, but the idea came to mind that he could access his son’s cell phone just to hear his voice message. He came into Prestige that day to thank my son for the endless kind messages he left and the texts back and forth to his son. He knew that Brett’s kindness had an enormous positive effect on his son but was completely unaware of the friendship that had developed. In the end, as his father felt so helpless not being able to save his life, he said he would never forget that day, the smile on his son’s face and the lasting positive effect a ride in a Lamborghini provided.