The man who has inspired and touched the hearts of many, with his plight of pure will and determination, received a huge surprise last Friday when he was given a brand new red 2015 Ford Taurus. James Robertson, aka “The Walking Man” a Detroit native who for the past ten years has made a twenty one mile trek to and from work recently came to the world’s attention following an appearance in the Detroit Free Press.

Going viral, Robertson’s story quickly spread around the globe.  Having never missed a day of work with perfect attendance, boots in tow and bus pass in hand, Robertson for over a decade made the journey to and from work, never expected such an outpouring of kindness. Money tight and times hard, Robertson simply has been unable to afford a car since his last one which broke down ten years ago.

Since coming to the attention of the press, Robertson’s story resulted in a complete stranger, Evan Leedy, starting up a GoFundMe for him which resulted in the donation of over $300,000 to help retire those walking boots and to assist in putting Roberson behind the wheel once more. Mission accomplished, Robertson, 56, was escorted to the Suburban Ford dealership in Sterling Heights this past week where he was greeted with a round of applause and handed the keys to his brand new 2015 Taurus.

Tears shed by many, the Walking Man through the kindness of others with key fob in hand was able to sit behind the wheel of his brand new ride. Looking forward to driving his new car to and from work Robertson shared he doesn’t just like his new car, “he loves it”. Hearing the sound of the engine, Robertson’s emotionally filled expression of gratitude was obvious.

Humble in nature, Robertson said “The reason I picked the Taurus, I remember the old Taurus from the 1980s,”. “They never were this fancy or anything, but like me they have a strong heart from the inside”. We couldn’t agree more. After a tutorial from the dealership bringing Robertson up to speed on the new technologies his ride comes equipped with, he was ecstatic to retire the walking boots. Robertson can’t wait to hit the road.