Nonprofit gives car to single mother who has daughter with leukemia

NORTH HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A single mother broke down in tears on Christmas Eve after she received a very special gift from a nonprofit organization.

It had been a tough year for Michelle Ramos. Her 6-year-old daughter Josalin is battling a rare form of leukemia. Then Michelle lost her car.

The mother and daughter took buses to get to Josalin's many treatments. But now, she can rest easy thanks to the help of the BumbleBee Foundation, a Thousand Oaks-based nonprofit. The organization paid it forward and surprised Michelle with her very own car.

"This is the biggest thing the BumbleBee Foundation has been able to do to date," said Heather Donatini, executive director and co-founder of the foundation.

Donatini and her husband founded BumbleBee in memory of their son, Jarren, who died battling cancer.

"This is an incredibly emotional thing to be able to do, to know that we are able to bless another family in need because of the legacy our son left behind," she said.

BumbleBee also received some help for Galpin Ford to find Michelle the right car. Michelle, Josalin and a friend arrived at the dealership earlier in the day for the big surprise.

Michelle sat in the front seat in utter disbelief at her new gift and she couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm very surprised. It still hasn't hit me yet. It's a beautiful day. It's a wonderful day," she said.

But the best news of all? Michelle said Josalin is scheduled to receive a bone marrow transplant within the next year. She's hopeful her daughter will make a full recovery.