Sebastian Ibañez’s dream was to be a car salesman.
But he couldn’t find a job because of his disability.
He is legally blind as well as partially deaf.
“They would see my cane and my blindness before they try to see my qualifications,” he said.
“I had recently become a father, so I had to find a way to provide for my family.”
Ibañez began selling brooms, mops, and dust pans on the sidewalks of Mesa, Arizona. When it’s hot out, he sells popsicles.
In the cold, he peddles blankets.
During the pandemic, it was masks. Ibañez is out there selling in all types of weather.
Unfortunately, his business hit a rough spot when the truck he used to move his goods was involved in an accident.
The brakes on his car failed, and the car is with a mechanic who assessing the damage putting the business on hold.
Though Ibañez owns the van, a family member drives it since his blindness prevents him from getting a license.
That’s the least of his problems.
His family was evicted from their home last year because of slow business.
They had fallen behind on their bills while Ibañez’s wife has battled thyroid cancer for three years.
Even though his wife is a U.S. citizen, her health care denied her coverage.
So, they travel 12 hours to Mexico and pay out-of-pocket for her medical costs.
“So, giving up is not in my vocabulary,” Ibañez said.
Ibañez said because of slow business, he wasn’t able to pay his tuition at ASU where he is working toward a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
So, he had to drop out.
But things changed after TikTok influencer Jimmy Darts posted a story about the man.
Darts’ channel shows him performing acts of kindness to strangers.
Darts posted a video about his meeting with Ibañez and ended up starting a GoFundMe for him, where $120,000 was raised.
Timmy Brown of Brown Brother’s Automotive in Mesa also saw the video and wanted to help as well.
“I just saw an incredible human being who wanted to sell cars,” Brown said. “I saw a beautiful guy, and it didn’t make sense to me that his dream job was to sell cars, and nobody wanted to hire him. That really doesn’t make sense to me.”
So, Brown hired Ibañez who sold a used car on his first day on the job.
“I could still lose an arm and a leg and still sell a car,” said Ibañez. “People are always going to need cars. That and tamales.”
Ibañez says he’s incredibly grateful for the opportunities he’s been given and that the funds raised should help his family for at least a year.
He also plans to go back to school to get his degree.
Customers are calling the dealership saying that they want to work with Ibañez on the purchase of multiple cars.
Learn more about this story in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
