Between the nausea and mucositis from chemotherapy and the repetitive hospital food, keeping himself well-fed was one of the toughest parts of treatment for 16-year-old leukemia survivor and Shaler Area High School student Duncan Simmons.
What helped both emotionally and physically, he said, was his parents, Chris and Neelie Simmons, bringing him takeout from time to time.
“It definitely made me feel a lot better and helped me get my food in when I needed it,” Duncan said.
That’s why Duncan, who is now in complete remission, decided to use his wish from Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia to create Duncan’s Diner, a fund through the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation to provide hospitalized pediatric patients on the ninth-floor hematology/oncology unit with meal delivery gift cards.
Make-A-Wish provided Sheetz gift cards and a cash donation to set up the foundation, while DoorDash matched the donation with its own gift cards. Chris Simmons said the foundation launched in late December and, according to the JustGiving page, already has raised more than $12,000.
Duncan learned he was eligible for Make-A-Wish when he was nearing the end of his six months of treatment. He said he sat on it for a long time as he couldn’t think of anything he really wanted.
His parents said meetings with Make-A-Wish teams made it clear Duncan had many exciting options to choose from, including a trip to Hawaii or a complete bedroom renovation. But Duncan’s “first instinct” was to give it to “someone who needs it more” than he does, Neelie Simmons said.
“Make-A-Wish said, ‘We’d love to be able to do that, but we can’t give some kids two wishes and some kids none. So we need you to come up with something,’ ” Chris Simmons said. “He was like, ‘OK, challenge accepted.’ And he’s like, ‘How can I give it back and not just give it back to one kid, but give it back to all the kids?’ ”
Duncan said he considered donating money to cancer research but figured there already were many funds for research, so using his wish for that would be “a drop in the ocean.”
His dad said while Duncan mulled it over, the two of them used their own money to get Starbucks gift cards for the ninth-floor staff as a way of thanking them. From this, Duncan got the idea for Duncan’s Diner.
Duncan said he hopes the fund will continue helping patients get breaks from hospital food and bring to them some comfort and normalcy.
“I know it’s not going to help their physical condition, probably,” he said. “It’ll help their mental condition, at least, is what I hope.”
While it was “terrifying” first learning of Duncan’s diagnosis and “awful” watching him suffer through leukemia and chemotherapy, Neelie Simmons said support from their friends, family, school and church helped them get through.
Her advice for other parents and caregivers with children going through treatment is to ask for help and remember “you’re in a lot of people’s prayers.”
“People want to help. They don’t often know how and so giving them a concrete thing (to do) — you’re actually helping them to help you,” she said. “It’s scary. You’re not alone. Ask for the help that you need.”
Duncan said he counts himself lucky — though he had a “very bad form of cancer,” he responded well to treatment and he knows not every kid who finds themself on an oncology floor can say the same.
“There’s nothing I can say that’ll make them feel better. But I think actions speak louder than words, and hopefully the DoorDash cards help them out a bit mentally,” he said. “Don’t give up and don’t feel too alone. I know that it seems like it’s really bad luck, and it’s just terrible that you have to go through it. But you’re not the only one.”
To help Duncan’s Diner give kids a glimmer of their favorite food while receiving treatment, visit justgiving.com/page/duncansdiner.
To donate by check, write “Duncan’s Diner” in the memo line and mail it to UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Attention: Lauren McBryde, 4401 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224.