Frisco BBQ restaurant raises $33K for boy with rare blood cancer
FRISCO, Texas (CBSNewsTexas.com) — A Frisco barbecue restaurant raised funds to surprise a North Texas family, as their young grandson battles a rare form of cancer.
"I never dreamed that anyone would do this for us...never," Connie Sales said, holding back tears.
She said Hutchins BBQ is more than just her family's favorite spot to eat.
"They're awesome, they have really been a real blessing to our family...I can't say it enough," Sales said.
On Friday, the Hutchins staff, along with owner Tim Hutchins, surprised the Sales family with a $33,000 check.
"Overwhelmed. I really can't thank them enough...it's really been a blessing to us," she said. "We're living on a fixed income, and so it's a really big blessing."
Sales and her husband have been taking their six-year-old-grandson Bentley to the restaurant ever since he was diagnosed.
At one-year-old, doctors told them he had a rare blood cancer.
"He had HLH, a rare form of cancer that's in the Leukemia family," Sales explained.
Over the past three years, Bentley developed a special bond with Wayne White and Marsh Landers, who are both managers for the restaurant.
"He came in and we went around speaking to him. And it started out...when he came in, we would pray for him," White said.
Landers said they have grown close with the entire Sales family.
"It became personal because we got to know them, hear their story and they allowed us to come into their little circle," he said.
White and Landers wanted to help with the family's expenses since both of Bentley's grandparents are elderly and dealing with their own illnesses.
During one week in January, both Hutchins BBQ locations—in Frisco and McKinney—dedicated 100% of their proceeds of the "Texas Twinkie" to Bentley and his family.
The "Texas Twinkie," a stuffed jalapeño with cream cheese, brisket and wrapped in bacon—is one of Hutchins' most popular items on the menu.
And before they left, Bentley and his grandmother came together with the staff to pray, just like every visit to Hutchins.