The last two years for Ryan Dwyer and his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Violet Martinez, have not been easy.
Both of them had been diagnosed with cancer and they went through chemotherapy. Martinez was treated at the Seattle Children’s Hospital while her stepdad was at U.W. Medical Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
Months later, they’re both back home with encouraging news: Martinez is in remission and Dwyer is preparing for a bone marrow transplant.
With things looking up for them, they’re focused on the team of health care workers that took care of them.
“I spend a lot of time in these hospitals and I see the stress on the front-line workers,” Dwyer told ABC news. “I see how well they handle it and we appreciate it so much.”
The duo wanted to pay it forward.
“We were looking for a way at the tail end of our treatments to give back to the people that actually had their hands on us physically every day,” he said. “We felt that a really good way to do that was through the gift of food.”
The father and stepdaughter started Fine Dine Front Lines together.
They use donations to get meals to local hospitals, feeding doctors, nurses and hospital staff while helping local restaurants as well.
So far, they’ve delivered more than 5,100 meals to 14 hospitals through donations totaling $61,000.
“We appreciate all the nurses and front-line workers who risk themselves every day for us,” Martinez told ABC News.
The nurses at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance who treated Dwyer expressed appreciation for his support.
“We want to thank our patient, Ryan Dwyer, from the bottom of our hearts, for his generosity ... [for] supporting all of us through these incredibly challenging times,” said Theresa McDonnell, chief nurse executive at the hospital. “Ryan ... we’re here to support you during your challenging times.”
