A Philadelphia man raised funds by selling cheesesteaks. He's doing it because he wants to take his mom, who has been diagnosed with cancer, to Egypt.
The Philadelphia man, Dustin Vitale, thought of fulfilling one of his mom's dreams after knowing that his mother, Gloria Walker, is suffering from a terminal stage of bladder cancer.
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A Dream to See the Pyramids
His mom wants to see the pyramids in Egypt. Dustin shared in an interview with Philadelphia Inquirer, "Ever since she was a little girl; she's wanted to see them."
Gloria works as a hospital dietitian. The 56-year-old mom became very busy raising her family and working in the hospital. Also, she had a general aversion to flying. That is why she did not fulfill this dream.
She does not want to travel alone; she wants to see the pyramids with her entire family.
How did he raise funds?
Dustin understands the extent of his mom's dream. He knew that it was complicated, primarily because of the current situation. Also, the expense of this trip was on big reason. Plane tickets for the family will already cost $10,000.
The Philadelphia son works as a history teacher at First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School.
However, Dustin was determined. Eating and making cheesesteaks was something that Dustin enjoyed.
So, last February, the son raised funds for his mom by selling cheesesteaks. It only started with Dustin's Instagram stories. His friends and family showed support by buying the cheesesteaks that Dustin made.
A chef bought some of the cheesesteaks and posted his review on Instagram. That is when Dustin's fundraiser reached a hype.
He said, "We didn't know how long the hype was going to last, so we decided just to keep telling everyone and see how many we get."
Raising Enough Funds
When the news got out about the Philly cheesesteaks being for his mother, people started to line up outside Dustin's home to get a delicious sandwich but also to lend a helping hand to reach this man's admirable goals. Recently, through the help of a food truck owner, Dustin could accommodate more orders from people.
Just within six weeks, Dustin was not only able to raise 10,000 US Dollars. He was able to gather 18,000 US Dollars. Dustin says he is willing to do anything for his mom. In an interview with CBS, he said, "Could she have asked me to go to the moon? I might have done it as well."
Gloria says she is overwhelmed by her son's generosity, and the family plans to go on their trip later this year.
