Be my Valentine: Cancer Bridges hosts dinner for cancer patients, loved ones
When Naomi Howard was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, she wanted to give up.
It was listening to the loving words of her Valentine that she took to heart.
“I said, ‘If you won’t fight for yourself, please fight for me,’” said her husband of 42 years, John Howard. “She’s the love of my life.”
That remarkable bond was certain watching the couple from Hampton on Wednesday evening.
The two of them sat at a table near a window sharing a meal and an evening of love where cancer was pushed to the background.
It was a time to enjoy each other’s company for a day founded around love.
Hosting the early Valentine’s Day meal for 90 guests – individuals with a cancer diagnosis and caregivers, family and friends — was Cancer Bridges. Cancer Bridges, formerly Our Clubhouse and Cancer Caring Center, provides free programs and services to those impacted by cancer.
There are more than 3,000 members.
Reservations for the event sold out within hours.
The organization’s headquarters in Pittsburgh’s Strip District was transformed into restaurant-style seating for a free three course dinner.
Cancer Bridges board member Marty Randal and executive director Stephanie Ciranni welcomed guests after they had their photos taken in front of a backdrop of red, pink and white balloons and hearts.
Randal escorted them to their seats as former board member Bert Dorazio played the piano.
The Strolling Strings, a quartet from North Allegheny High School also performed for the part of the two and a half hour dinner.
It was the first time since the pandemic the event was held, and Ciranni said the members missed this event as much as the staff missed hosting them.
The organization cares for the members before, during and after treatment and helps get the word out to medical professionals about the vast number of services available to anyone going through cancer and their support community of family and friends and caregivers.
“We understand how social wellness is so important, and for them to be around people face to face again is a wonderful gift,” Ciranni said.
Ricci Minella, owner and executive chef at Brick & Mortar in Heidelberg, and his team donated his time to prepare the three course meal of salad, a choice of chicken parmesan or pasta primavera, fresh rolls and butter and cheesecake.
The food was provided by sponsors Wholey’s, BreadWorks and Costco.
The 30 volunteers delivered meals to guests, helped clean tables and were on hand for anything those in attendance needed. There was pizza for children as well as activities from crafts to board games for those who needed childcare.
Child care was provided by Abby Ziegler, family and youth program manager for Cancer Bridges. She said offering this component gives parents and or a caregiver a night out to relax knowing the children are safe.
“For families navigating challenging times, an evening like this is comforting to everyone,” Ziegler said.
For Kristin and Chris DeLuca of Moon and their daughters, Madelina, 10, and Gianna, 13, that feeling of a life-changing diagnosis is a time they won’t forget.
Madelina’s was diagnosed with Leukemia a month before her second birthday.
“That day turned our world upside down,” said Kristin DeLuca. “She started chemo right away and didn’t come home until her second birthday.”
Madelina, now 10, is doing fabulous. She was upstairs playing with the other children, many who she knows through being a patient at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville.
“Cancer Bridges thinks about everyone from kids to adults,” Chris DeLuca said. “They make it accommodating for everyone. We are re-connecting with some of the other families tonight.”
Many of those connections came through Cancer Bridges.
The word bridge in the name gives a nod to Pittsburgh as a city of bridges, but more importantly the word represents a continual connection for patients through an often tumultuous medical journey, one that changed their lives forever.
It has changed the life of Wendy and Jonathan Raviotta of Butler, who has colon cancer. Wendy Raviotta said the evening will be a great memory for the couple married 15 years.
“This is a time celebrate each other,” she said.
The dinner fulfilled one of the items on Jonathan Raviotta’s bucket list — a date night with his beautiful wife.
“Cancer Bridges invests in all of us,” Jonathan Raviotta said. “It’s astounding what they do. This is such a selfless act on their part. This gives us a little bit of normalcy. I can socialize with people here who can relate to what I am going through. Cancer Bridges connected me with a community when I was isolated and alone.”
Being in a room with other cancer survivors comforted Naomi Howard, who met her husband at a church in Meadville. She was the minister’s daughter and he the organist’s son.
Naomi Howard held a red foil candy heart in her hand as she looked at a card with conversation topic questions on the table such as “Who do you love and why?” and “What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?”
“Cancer was our ticket to get into this dinner and is the one thing that unifies all of us,” she said. “But this night is about not having to think about cancer if just for a little while. This night was lovely. I wonder why I am still here, but then I realize why, so I can help others, and continue my fight for this guy sitting across for me.”
John Howard, wearing a bright red sweater, looked over at his Valentine and smiled.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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