Help My Father with His Medical Treatment

Hello, this is Yong. I am creating this GoFundMe to help my Father, Soo Shin. My father was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma cancer three months ago. I hope that making this GoFundMe can help ease the stress of this diagnosis and its financial burden.

A bit about my family:

My father has always put his family first and has worked hard to provide the best opportunities for our future. In 1982, he decided to immigrate to America; the rest of our family followed in 1984. My parents made the difficult decision to leave their home and family in Busan, South Korea. We moved from state to state with my parents working countless jobs and hours to provide for our family. Eventually, we settled in Richmond, VA.

They opened their first restaurant, Tobacco Row Restaurant, on Stockton Street in 1993, feeding the factory workers at the Philip Morris Plant. They then closed that restaurant in 2001 when my father was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and diabetes. A few years later, in 2004, we opened Mama's Kitchen on Grace Street near VCU in the hopes of sharing our passion for food and our Korean culture with the community. After 12 incredible years at Mama's, we wanted to expand beyond campus to reach the greater Richmond community. Finally, we opened K-Town Kitchen & Bar on July 5th, 2016. The restaurant's goal was to become a long-time community staple and ultimately help provide a life for my parents, as they did for me. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to share our culture through food with Richmond. Unfortunately, we have decided to close this chapter due to the pandemic and surrounding financial hardships. We will never forget all the good moments we have spent with you!

Throughout this difficult time my father has remained selfless and resilient. If you would like to help, and are able to donate, it would be immensely appeciated. We thank you for all of your love and support over these 18 years.