PHOENIX — The degree of separation between you and someone you know who has been impacted by cancer is sadly, easy to measure.
"It's the great equalizer," Melissa Maggiore told 12News. Her father died of cancer.
The disease connects us all in the most heartbreaking way. She shared part of her journey as a daughter, the oldest of two children, who would ultimately help play a "caretaker role" in her father's battle with cancer.
Maggiore and her little brother, Joey, were by their father’s side in 2019 as he fought not one but two types of cancer.
"My father was diagnosed with two types of cancer, Glioblastoma and Stage 4 small cell lung cancer," she explained.
To honor Tomaso Maggiore's memory and love of the food and beverage industry, Melissa opened “The Italian Daughter” in North Scottsdale and it is where the community can help her give back to families impacted by cancer.
Through May 24, The Italian Daughter will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from every pizza sold to Cancer Support Community Arizona.
"On the heels of National Pizza Party Day, we wanted to do something to give back that was meaningful," she added. "When we were going to M.D. Anderson to stay with my dad, we needed all kinds of support, whether it was just emotional support or physical support or people assisting with transportation, bringing meals or watching our kids while my brother and I were the caregivers for my father."
Julie Dunnigan, CEO of CSCAZ, said there are more than 100 programs a month available to anyone impacted by cancer, at absolutely no cost to them.
She recently fought a breast cancer diagnosis and said she couldn't be more grateful for the generosity.
"We're a small nonprofit that's been around 25 years and fully funded by donations, so what we're able to do is thanks to people like Melissa and others who donate so we can really fund these programs," Dunnigan said.
For more information on the programs offered by CSCAZ, click here. For more information about The Italian Daughter, visit their website here.
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