Restaurant employee takes action for woman battling cancer

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    CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WTKR) — All Buffie Hipps wanted from Rancho Grande Mexican Restaurant in Chesapeake yesterday was her favorite enchiladas.

It was going to be her first real meal since undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.

“I said ‘by the way do you think you could possibly separate the queso because I’m doing radiation treatment that my husband cannot be around me’,” Hipps explained to News 3.

But she would get much more following that phone call.

Rosie Macias took the call, and it was much more personal for her than just putting in a food order.

“I related and empathized with her,” Macias said.

Instead of just separating Hipps’s queso, Macias paid for her meal and asked if they could stay in touch.

“I just started crying. It was just very touching,” Hipps told reporter Brian Hill.

Macias told us why it was so important for her to extend that offer. “I want her to think of me as like a resource – somebody that she can talk to or ask questions about anything,” Macias mentioned.

She has been cancer free for about three-years, first diagnosed with leukemia at 17-years-old. “I spent a whole lot of time alone. There was a lot of dietary restrictions. I couldn’t be around people. That’s why I left like I could relate to Buffie on a personal level,” Macias detailed.

Hipps told us once she’s able to be around people again, one of the first things she’s gonna do is come to the restaurant and give Macias a huge hug, and tell her thank you.

“She just went a step above when she didn’t have to,” Hipps said.

In a few days, Hipps said she will find out if the cancer is completely gone.

The women told us they hope their story inspires others battling cancer, or in remission, to reach out to others in the fight, and pay it forward.

“It’s just good to spread love, share kindness,” Hipps explained.

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