Tow truck turns pink for breast cancer

A Tillsonburg Ont. area business has come up with a unique new way to spread breast cancer awareness — it’s a heavy-duty flatbed tow truck.

“Everybody loves it. It’s big, it’s pink, it’s bold!” said Jen Dean, of Advanced Automotive Repair and Towing.

Her mother Rosemary Dean came up with the idea to wrap their brand new vehicle to support breast cancer awareness.

On the passenger side of the cab, a pink ribbon contains the names of three breast cancer survivors. All are friends or relatives of the family.

On the driver’s side, there is one name, Shanna Larsen. The daughter of Rosemary’s former co-worker Shanna, who lost her fight with breast cancer.

“She was very young when she passed away at 24 from breast cancer,” Rosemary said, adding, “Just watching her mom go through it. I have four kids of my own and I cannot imagine it.”

(Sean Irvine/CTV News London)What started as a tribute to those the family cared about has now snowballed.

For starters, the flatbed has only been on the road for a month, yet, just last week, it won a towing industry award.

According to Jen, it has also become an unexpected positive distraction for upset drivers at towing calls.

“We talk about the truck and it kind of pulls them [the driver] away from whatever they’ve been through, whether a collision or broke down vehicle,” she added.

Still, those positives pale to the reaction of the general public.

Already, the rig has participated in multiple fundraisers alongside the Dean family derby car which is also painted pink.

Jen, who frequently drives both vehicles, told CTV News she is happy to take her family’s moving billboards to other events in the region.

“We’d be honoured to participate in anything that anybody would like us at,” she said.