News We Love: Pittsburgh cookie community comes together to fulfill Yinzer鈥檚 final Christmas wish
鈥業f only I could have one more bite of kolache, I could die a happy man'
鈥業f only I could have one more bite of kolache, I could die a happy man'
鈥業f only I could have one more bite of kolache, I could die a happy man'
An 80-year-old man who called the Pittsburgh area home for much of his life is now nearing the end of a three-year cancer diagnosis. His final request? A nut roll from Pittsburgh.
See the heartwarming story in the video above
Jim Hazlett lives in Alabama, where his daughter Jill Benefield and her family are caring for Jim in his final days.
Benefield said she expected to say goodbye to her dad days ago.
鈥淲e got a call a week ago that he was probably not going to make it through the weekend, and so we flew his great-granddaughter down there. She's 3 years old, and 鈥� I kid you not 鈥� within about two hours of her being there, the doctor said they couldn't understand what happened. It was just a remarkable improvement,鈥� Benefield said.
Jim鈥檚 doctors said he might even live to see 2025.
Benefield said she鈥檚 amazed that he鈥檚 still here, and he still has an appetite for his nostalgic favorites.
鈥淗e cried like a baby last night and said, 鈥業f only I could have one more bite of kolache, I could die a happy man,鈥欌� Benefield said.
Kolache, Jim鈥檚 favorite dessert, is what many call nut roll. Jill went straight to the experts, "," a Facebook group of more than 338,000 people who celebrate the cookie table tradition.
Laura Magone, in Monongahela, Washington County, got Jill鈥檚 request late Thursday night.
鈥淚 thought, 鈥楾his is really special.' This really tugs at your heart that someone has her dad in his final days. His last wish is to have a nut roll, and she's come to us to ask,鈥� Magone said.
Not knowing how much time Jim has left, the people of this online community went to work.
鈥淪o, it started off with several people offering to send one nut roll, but our group tends to go overboard,鈥� Magone said.
Everything Jim鈥檚 family needs to set up and decorate the cookie table of the year is in the mail. The cookies and nut rolls are being overnighted.
鈥淎ll I told him was he had a kolache coming, and he said, 鈥業s it from Pittsburgh?鈥� And that was his concern,鈥� Benefield said.
The kindness of Pittsburghers and cookie lovers across the country is bringing out a side of Jim in his final days that his daughter thought was in the past.
鈥淚 saw my dad go from a dying, scared, sad, but grateful man, to, to me, what looked like a 7-year-old kid waiting on Santa Claus.鈥�
A taste of his childhood and the life he had in Pittsburgh 鈥� Jim鈥檚 final Christmas gift.
鈥淗e said, 鈥楶lease tell these bakers that they are doing for me what my mom can't be here to do herself,鈥欌� Benefield said.
Benefield said she鈥檚 exchanged messages with people who are sending cookies and nut rolls and one mother in particular who she wants people to say a prayer for.
鈥淭here's a woman that said she's going to send cookies to my dad in her son Jimmy's honor, and her son Jimmy is serving overseas,鈥� Benefield said.
Benefield said her dad was fortunate to reconnect with a close friend from his past and find love late in his life. Sadly, she said the woman is in poor health as well and can鈥檛 visit Jim in Alabama.
鈥淜aren's also sick with leukemia, and as a result, she's not able to travel or be around people in large groups at all. So what that means to me is Karen is also going to be home all alone on Christmas,鈥� Benefield said. 鈥淚f there's anybody out there that can take just a spare, a few moments, just to maybe drop by and leave her a card and maybe just a paper plate of just a nice home-cooked Christmas meal. My dad 鈥� I think that would be the greatest gift anyone could give him.鈥�
Benefield asked that if anyone is interested in reaching out to Karen, that they contact her.