🛠 Unwanted Surprises

Well, here’s a story I wish I didn’t have to tell.

While I was away for the weekend in Catalina, the CausePlay ambulance got towed. Not because of anything wild — just someone deciding it was in their way and calling it in. The official citation? “Standing upon a highway as to obstruct traffic.” A ridiculous claim considering it was parked in front of my own home, properly out of traffic, waiting on its final registration when I had the funds and time to do so.

I came back from a restorative, much-needed break… to find no ambulance in sight and hoping it wasn’t just straight up stolen.

💸 The Breakdown (Financially and Literally)

Here’s what this little misadventure cost:

• Tow + Impound Fees: $660

• Registration (which I was literally in the process of completing having just passed our smog check): $700

• Repair parts + time: $20 plus 6 hours under the belly of the beast. As well as several trips to different parts stores to find the right bushing in stock.

But the worst part wasn’t the hit to my wallet — it was what I found when I finally got the ambulance back.

The tow company had destroyed the gear shift linkage to be able to move the vehicle and made it impossible to reconnect it. The tow yards solution? Zip ties.

A giant diesel rig. Zip-tied to the transmissions linkage arm. They literally shrugged and handed it back to me like that saying it should at least get me home.

🔧 Doing It Myself

I filed a damage complaint against the contracted tow vendor and then got to work trying to fix it myself. Luckily, I found a bushing replacement kit that would let me rebuild the linkage. Not a permanent solution, but enough to get us rolling again. The zip ties only just got me home. JUST. I managed to park it enough out of the way before trying to reverse and hearing the zip ties snap under the cab.

The bushing kit is a temporary fix as far as I can tell. The entire linkage is recommended to be replaced but we’ll have to see if it comes to that and what my complaint with the towing company produces.

As of today, the linkage is reattached, the ambulance is cleaned from its dirty tow yard jail, and for the first time since purchasing it — it’s officially registered and wearing shinny new plates. That’s a huge milestone, even if the path to it was way more chaotic than planned.

💬 Why This Matters

This isn’t just about a truck. It’s about the mission CausePlay stands for: creative support, community power, and doing the best with what you’ve got. That ambulance is the future mobile HQ for a team dedicated to helping cosplayers, artists, and makers at conventions and events. It’s a workshop, repair bay, and content studio on wheels.

Getting it this far has taken a ton of time, effort, and yes — money. A surprise setback like this one nearly derailed the timeline and drained me emotionally.

But we’re still here. And we’re still building.

I’ve had several people reach out and lend a hand financially and mentally. From my dad covering the upfront towing cost to some very amazing friends who stepped in to offer assistance, their support keeps me going.

🙌 How You Can Help

If you’ve been following this journey and want to see the ambulance come to life as a true mobile support rig, now is a really good time to jump in and support.

👉 Visit the Donate page for direct contributions

👉 Join the CausePlay Discord to be part of our maker community

👉 Share the story. Every bit of visibility helps.

Thanks again for being part of this mission. I may be tired, but I’m not giving up — and this rig is just getting started.

Stay weird,

Ryan