Help Grant Toni’s Wish

Help us Grant Toni’s Wish: Reuniting with Family in Portugal Amidst Parkinson’s and Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

For nearly 40 years, Toni has been a vibrant fixture in Pittsburgh’s food scene. The comforts of his native Portuguese foods were passionately shared with the Pittsburghers frequenting his restaurants up until the recent closing of Café Zinho. Sharing his culinary passion with local diners gave him a purpose and tremendous joy. Now Toni is in need, and we are asking for Pittsburgh’s support.

For the past decade, as many know, Toni had been living with Parkinson's disease. Toni has recently suffered an even harsher blow, a diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer. The medical challenges have taken their toll, leaving him with multiple extended hospital stays, depleted financial reserves, and an inability to work.

Toni has found himself in a difficult position; he is unable to travel alone, and the costs of medical treatments and hospital stays had drained his financial resources. Toni’s time is limited and has only one desire - to visit his family in Portugal. Toni’s mother passed away recently, and he was devastated that he could not be there to say goodbye or attend her funeral. The missed opportunity to grieve in person with his sisters has placed an emotional burden on Toni.

Those of you that have had the pleasure of knowing Toni are aware of his kindness and generous nature. Toni had a reputation for persistent optimism and never hesitated to help those around him. Now he is the one in need of help.

Our only realistic option to help Toni fulfill his last wish is to ask for Pittsburgh’s support and start a GoFundMe campaign. Toni was initially too embarrassed to ask, but now with his consent, we are determined to make his wish come true. We are humbly asking for any support to help Toni obtain his goal.

Toni is not capable of traveling alone and requires trained medical staff to facilitate a safe journey. He requires assistance with multiple facets of daily living that many of us do without much thought or effort. Simple things like taking a shower, managing medications, or tying shoelaces are just a few examples of the daily challenges for him to overcome.

A GoFundMe campaign serves not just for financial aid; it provides him hope, and the assurance that he is not alone. We know this is a big ask, but we love Toni and just want him to be able to visit Portugal one last time and cannot do it on our own. The funds raised through the GoFundMe campaign are to cover travel expenses for Toni and a trained healthcare provider. We set a high bar for expenses as we need to consider unforeseen events regarding Toni’s health while traveling. Please consider donating to Toni’s goal, any amount is sincerely appreciated.