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MAR 19, 2020 | FROM FORD STAFF REPORTS

Double-Transplant Recipient Wins Ford Mustang 5.0 Sweepstakes

Joel Stegner standing next to his gray Mustang in a garage

DEARBORN, Mich. – Joel Stegner has always loved road trips. Not much could stop him – at least until he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic condition that contributed to the deaths of his father and grandmother. He’s on the road again, though, thanks to his “two miracles:” a second kidney transplant and a new Ford pony car from Ford Customer Service Division’s “Mustang 5.0 Fever” sweepstakes.

Stegner, of Edina, Minnesota, had always loved driving around Canada and the United States. Then came his first transplant with a kidney donated by his brother, Mike. That kidney lasted 15 years but eventually needed to be replaced. This time, his sister, Diane, stepped forward just before another donor was found at the University of Minnesota. He was still looking for a match when he got the call that he’d won the FCSD sweepstakes.

“I have two siblings who were willing to give me a kidney,” Stegner said. “On top of that, to win a contest where there are 113,000 entries and be the winner, it’s like two miracles happening within a few weeks of each other.

“I love to travel and take road trips, so this is a situation where if the transplant works out -- and it’s so far so good -- the thing I haven’t been doing is take road trips. Now I’ll have a new car to do that.”

While he was waiting for a positive match, Stegner decided to try his luck with the annual online sweepstakes sponsored by Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) that features a new Mustang GT as the prize.

“I thought, ‘Somebody’s gotta win, so why not me’?” said Stegner, who received his car from Freeway Ford in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Stegner entered to win a 2020 Mustang GT online at www.mustang50fever.com/. This year’s contest is open now and ends on December 4, 2020.
“One trip I want to take is to the West Coast,” Stegner said. “I have a friend in Las Vegas. I might drive out there and continue on.”

“Joel’s story is really remarkable,” said Jasmine Pendleton, Marketing Manager, Ford Customer Service Division. “He’s overcome so much in life and to be able to offer him this Mustang feels like a celebration. We wish him the best and look forward to hearing about his adventures with his new car!”

(To enter, go to
www.mustang50fever.com/. To see the official rules for the Mustang 5.0 Fever sweepstakes, visit www.mustang50fever.com/rules.)