KOKOMO, Ind. — When Missy Gibson went to Wal-Mart for a routine grocery trip earlier this month, she was inspired to change someone’s life. But her act of kindness was repaid in an unexpected and heartwarming way.

The day before, a Kokomo, Indiana man had driven his truck into five parked cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot, causing $50,000 in damage and totaling at least one vehicle — a car that Wal-Mart employee Sarah Ferguson used as her only transportation to and from work.

“I was blocked when I came out because another car was behind me, but when I got close to it, I could not believe it, and I was upset,” said Ferguson about seeing her wrecked car for the first time.

That car — a 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 — caught Gibson’s attention and stayed with her as she went to bed that evening. After waking up the next morning, Gibson knew she needed to take action.

The next morning, she found a 1987 Dodge Aries on the Internet and purchased it. The day after that, Gibson and a group of friends took the car to Wal-Mart to replace Ferguson’s loss. She parked the car — adorned with a teddy bear and a bouquet of flowers — next to the Oldsmobile and went into the store intending to leave the keys at the customer service desk and let a store manager know what she was doing.

Gibson told the Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune she learned Ferguson was actually working in another part of the building. A minute later, the two were in a full embrace.

“Every time I go in Wal-Mart now, I get hugs,” Gibson said through tears. “I just love helping people. That’s just me. I like helping others. I go out of my way to help anybody if I see them struggle.”

Ferguson, who had been relying on her daughter for rides to work, was overwhelmed Gibson’s gesture, shedding tears of joy when Gibson introduced herself.

“Who gives a person a car?,” Ferguson said. “I was very surprised, and I was very thankful…just very happy, very pleased and jumping with joy.”

The two women went their separate ways, bonded over the act of kindness, but they couldn’t have guessed there was another surprise in store.

A favor returned

For nine months, Gibson had been visiting a local auto dealership, intent on finding an affordable car for transportation to and from Indianapolis for a life-altering operation — breast reconstruction surgery.

A breast cancer survivor, Gibson had long been preparing herself for the surgery. And a reliable car, she knew, could prove as important as any other preparation.

Knowing her story, the employees of City of Firsts Auto in Kokomo always planned on helping Gibson. But after learning about her gift to Ferguson, selling her a car was no longer their goal.

Instead, the company chose to present her with a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, which Gibson accepted last week during a small presentation that included her daughter and three City Of Firsts Auto employees, Omar Ashkar, Ryan McClaran and Brandy Powell.

“It seemed like the right thing to do,” Ashkar said. “She really needed a car.”

He added that Gibson’s story — made more compelling by her participation with and volunteer work for local organizations and programs — made the decision to give her the van outright an easy one.

“We heard what she did for the woman at Wal-Mart, and we decided this is a woman who does a lot for a lot of people when she doesn’t have much to give,” Ashkar said. “So we felt like she deserved for someone to do something for her.”

After sitting in the minivan for the first time, alternating between laughter and tears, Gibson tried to explain what the company’s gesture means to her family.

“It means I can go to the doctor and not have to ask my friends to take me,” she said, “because I’ve had to ask everyone to take me. It means a lot to me. I’ve never had anything like this happen.”

The Kokomo, Indiana Tribune contributed to this story.