Teen's wish becomes 'most important job'

By GAYLE WEBER

gwweber@dailynews.net

Of all the paint jobs and car restorations Thad Ward has done in his life, the one he's working on now is easily the most important.

Ward is busy fulfilling the wish of 16-year-old Brandon Bieker, who was diagnosed with leukemia on Christmas Eve last year.

Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Bieker, a junior at Ellis High School, originally had asked to have his 1985 Chevy Camaro restored on the Discovery Channel TV show "Overhaulin'." But because the car needed electrical work, it couldn't be done on the show. Instead, Brandon's mom, Pam Bieker, found a local vendor to restore the interior, which led to finding Ward.

"He's donating all the rest of his time and parts and labor above and beyond what Make-A-Wish is paying," Pam Bieker said.

After the interior was completed by Troy Gasper in Victoria, the car was taken to Ward for exterior restoration.

"It's gonna look pretty nice when we're done," Ward said.

The car

Ward scraped off the old paint that in some places was so thick he had to use a razor blade to remove. He cleaned up everything under the hood and will be replacing the windshield, dash, wheels and tires before he turns it back over to Bieker.

He's also fixing a few things that were wrong with the car while Bieker was still driving it including the heater and the steering column.

"I'm kind of a soft touch I guess," Ward said as to why he took on the project. "I've had a lot of nostalgic jobs, but this is the most important job I've ever done."

What makes the project even more special for Ward is knowing the family. He's been a friend of Brandon's dad, Ben Bieker, who has been in the car repair business too, for many years.

"When I found out whose car it was, that made it even better," Ward said. "It's always nice to do something for someone's kid."

Ward expects to have the car complete this week, but he doesn't expect Brandon to recognize the once-blue Camaro he used to drive. Ward plans to paint it a dark charcoal metallic with black ghost flames.

It's a car Brandon Bieker knows he'll be able to show off.

"In like a month, it'll be a classic," he said. "In five years, it'll be an antique."

Brandon Bieker hasn't seen the car since Ward began work on it, but Ward has been keeping track of the process and will give Brandon a portfolio of pictures of the stages of the restoration.

The long road

Brandon Bieker's leukemia was not caught in the early stages. First diagnosed as a pulled chest muscle, it wasn't until the family was sent to a Wichita hospital that doctors discovered his hemoglobin level was below a level that could have sent Brandon into cardiac arrest.

"His oncologist said he probably wouldn't survive the weekend," Pam Bieker said of Brandon's diagnosis right before Christmas last year.

Since that time, the Biekers have put about 50,000 miles on their vehicles transporting Brandon to and from Wichita and Hays for treatment.

"It's very, very promising at this point," Pam Bieker said. "If his numbers stay good ... then that will be the final stage of his treatment."

However, that stage involves monthly trips to Wichita for two more years.

"He went from being a very, very healthy kid to very sick and he's tired of it," Pam Bieker said of her son. "He's ready for everything to be over and done with."