See It: Gordon Ramsay Surprises Ocean County Girl Fighting Cancer

BEACHWOOD, NJ — Beachwood 12-year-old Kallista Flores got her wish. And just as she did when she heard celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was in the area filming, she let out a scream.

And then ran to hug her idol as he stood in a conference room at her school (see video below).

Her father, Wolf Flores, put out a plea on Facebook on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, word got to Ramsay.

"I can't wait to meet her," Ramsay said as he talked with Flores, who broadcast the meeting live on Facebook.

Kallista had been trying Tuesday night to convince her mother to stake out the White Rooster, the Toms River restaurant where Ramsay has been filming since Sunday.

"She is a huge fan," Flores said. And with good reason: Kallista, who's battling b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, has spent hours watching Ramsay's cooking shows. During her cancer battle, they've helped her keep her mind off the cancer, while at the same time keeping up her energy.

"She would stimulate her appetite just by watching his show," Flores said.

When Kallista entered the room where Ramsay was waiting, she let out a scream and ran to him and hugged him.

Ramsay, who has three daughters, told Kallista that when he heard about her and her story, he said, "I want to meet that girl."

"When I see strong, young girls like you, you inspire me," he said. Ramsay chatted with her for a bit, asking her what instrument she plays — violin, like his youngest daughter, Matilda — and then signed the cardboard cutout of Ramsay that adorns Kallista's bedroom.

Kallista thanked him over and over for taking the time to come see her.

"Next time I see you, let's have dinner together," Ramsay said.

Here's the video:

The seventh-grader has long been a huge Ramsay fan, her father said.

"She loves to cook," Flores said, and often critiques the meals that her father makes, saying, "I don't know if Gordon would approve of this," and "You couldn't serve this to my boy."

Kallista even has a cardboard cutout of Ramsay in her room. "She's obsessed," Flores said with a laugh. "She even wants to use her Make-A-Wish wish for a meet-and-greet."

Flores said the cancer journey has been a long one for Kallista. She was diagnosed in May 2018, after she became ill while the family was on a cruise. She wound up in the hospital with a 105.3-degree fever.

She was transferred from Community Medical Center to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick, where doctors determined Kallista had severe pneumonia. At the same time, they diagnosed the leukemia.

"She was in the hospital for four months," he said, a draining, scary journey that included an anaphylactic reaction to one of the chemotherapy drugs.

She had to be home-schooled for a time, because readjusting to school after being out for a while was a challenge. And it's been financially stressful on the family: Flores worked for Manchester Township before Kallista got sick, and though co-workers donated time off to help out, Flores ran out of sick time while she was still in the hospital.

He ended up leaving the job and now is self-employed. His wife, Jodi, works for the U.S. Postal Service, but the bills, even with insurance coverage, have been enormous.

"She has to have a spinal tap every month, and the insurance treats that like surgery" because it's done under anesthesia, he said. Their co-pay is $1,100 per spinal tap, he said, though Kallista has finally reached the point in her treatment where the taps will be done every other month.

"We're still not out of the woods," Flores said. "You worry with every sneeze and sniffle."

She has one more year of treatment before she goes to a less intensive schedule, and at that point Flores hopes they will be able to catch up some from the financial impact.

Their insurance company has been billed more than $4 million and they've met their $16,000 deductible.

"Out of pocket, between lost income and gas and other costs, we've probably spent $25,000," he said.

They have had assistance from Ocean of Love, David's Dream and Believe for Kids, Embrace Kids, who all have helped pay bills and cover their mortgage.

"The town of Beachwood has been amazing," he said. And Pine Beach Elementary School, where Kallista was a student before she got sick, had a parade in the school for her, with students lining the halls with signs cheering her.

On Tuesday, Flores said what would cheer her up the most would be to meet Ramsay.

"She'd even be happy with a phone call," Flores said. "If she could meet him and hug him, that would make her day."

And on Wednesday, she did.

(If you're inclined to help the Flores family with Kallista's medical expenses, the GoFundme is here. )

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