Celebrity Chef and Fenway based Sweet Cheeks Chef/Owner Tiffani Faison, visited 12-year-old patient Nicholas Claudio for Valentine’s Day at Tufts Medical Center’s Floating Hospital for Children. Faison will be featured as a guest chef at Tufts Medical Center’s Working Wonders event on March 7th at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, where Nick will be honored with the first-ever Cam Neely Award for Courage. Nick is battling a rare brain cancer called choroid plexus papilloma, which has left him blind. Tiffani asked Nick to be her Valentine with a Braille Valentine’s Day card, printed by Boston based National Braille Press, and a one of her tasty desserts from Sweet Cheeks.
"I was grateful for the opportunity to meet Nick. Meeting him blew away every expectation I could have had,” said Faison. “He is whip smart, hysterical and pure warmth to be around. He is the best Valentine ever!"
Nick is a patient at Tufts Medical Center’s Floating Hospital for Children under the care of Johannes Wolff, MD, Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and is battling a rare brain cancer, choroid plexus papilloma. As a result of his illness, he has permanently lost his eyesight but has immersed himself in learning opportunities, learning Braille in one year, learning to ski and holding the lead role in his school play. Nick says, “A loss of sight is not a loss of vision.” His positive outlook in the face of adversity and passion for living each day to the fullest embodies the spirit of The Cam Neely Award for Courage.
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The theme of this year’s Tufts Medical Center’s annual Working Wonders benefit evening is “A Savory Celebration,” featuring sampling of cuisine from guests chefs including Tiffani Faison, Chef/Owner of Sweet Cheeks Q and a finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef; Gordon Hamersely, Chef/Owner Hamersley’s Bistro; Brooke Vosika, Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Boston; and Steve DiFillippo, CEO/owner of Davio’s Restaurants. In addition to awarding the inaugural Cam Neely Award for Courage, the signature fundraising event will present the first-ever Ellen M. Zane Award for Visionary Leadership to Thomas F. Shields, who has served as a leader in the health care industry and has dedicated his life to promote the health of others. Media sponsors for this year’s event include WCVB-TV Boston and Country 102.5 WKLB-FM.
