Restaurant owner drives 6 hours to fulfill dying woman's last wish: 'One of the most genuine people'

Amid the daily barrage of distressing news, acts of kindness shine as beacons of hope. In the relentless rush of modern life, it's rare to find someone willing to pause and reach out to others in their time of need. However, one North Carolina restaurant owner went above and beyond to fulfill the last wishes of a dying woman. This story was more special because the restaurant owner crossed state borders and traveled for six hours to deliver the dying woman's favorite meal on time, per 10 On Your Side.

Kevin Cherry, the owner of Mama Kwan's eatery in Outer Banks, North Carolina received a very strange call about a dying woman's last wish. Hailing from West Virginia, Heather Bowers, mother of two and a loving wife was battling Stage 4 cancer for over three and a half years. Mary Elton Simmons, Bowers's best friend, noted that the disease Bowers bravely battled for years would have overwhelmed even the strongest individuals. Late in February, Bowers was almost expecting her end because the chemotherapy she received was not only killing the tumor but also the rest of her cells. Knowing about her friend's last moments, Simmons wanted to try to make her last wish come true. It was a pork plate from Bowers's favorite restaurant, Mama Kwans, in Outer Banks.

Though Simmons wasn't sure if it was possible, she just went for it and called Cherry about the pork plate. To her surprise, Cherry dropped everything at his restaurant and rushed across the state to deliver Bowers's favorite meal. When Simmons was wondering if the food would be shipped to West Virginia, Cherry decided to act on it himself. Speaking to the news channel Cherry said that he didn't have to think twice about this delivery and that anyone would have done the same thing for the dying woman. However, Cherry had to be prepared emotionally. "About halfway up, I had to turn the radio off and had to talk to myself, saying, 'You can’t walk in here like this. You’ve got to walk in with a little bit of sunshine from the Outer Banks,'" said the restaurant owner. Turns out, the pork plate from Mama Kwans was one of the last meals that Bowers had before she passed away the next day after Cherry's kind act.

Touched by Bowers's story, Cherry has planned to make a $1,000 donation to the West Virginia hospice care center where she spent her final days. In a Facebook post, Simmons expressed her gratitude for Cherry calling him "one of the most genuine people in the world." The post read, "He made one of her last wishes come true. She wanted a meal from her family’s favorite vacation restaurant. This is something he didn’t want recognition for, however, kindness at this level deserves it!" Speaking to the news channel, Simmons said, "I just think maybe, if people see that kind of kindness, it’ll start spreading. That’s the hope. He made her smile—one of the final smiles of her life."