Donor Profile: Symeon Tsoupelis

After the lunch rush at Symeon’s Restaurant, Symeon Tsoupelis would often go sit with his mother, Ann, while she underwent chemotherapy. “You all sit around a room on these lounge chairs while people receive treatment. It’s a very social thing,” he describes.

The family developed a friendship with an elderly woman who was often receiving her treatments at the same time as Ann, he said. One day a nurse told the woman her treatment was just about finished and offered to call a family member to drive her home. The woman replied that she would be taking the bus and walking to the bus stop, recalls Symeon.

He says, “That’s why our family decided to gift a transportation van to the Cancer Center. We thought it was the best way to honor Mom. It says ‘Riding with Ann’ on the side.”

Symeon’s mother passed away in 2001, but the transportation program continues today to provide rides for patients for parts of Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties. “Patients receiving radiation therapy often face daily transportation needs for about six to seven weeks of treatment. That’s a real hardship for some families,” explains Cancer Program Director Mary Kate Schuster.

She adds that two employees and two vans log about 60,000 miles per year to help Cancer Center patients keep their appointments for radiation and chemotherapies. “The vans go wherever needed within about a 30-mile radius,” she says, “We are very appreciative of Symeon's dedication to assist us meet the needs of the Regional Cancer Center’s patients. He understands what a little extra support means in the lives of our patients and families. Symeon's commitment comes from the heart and really makes a difference.”

Today, Symeon continues his involvement by co-hosting the annual Stomp Out Cancer Telethon as well as actively serving on the Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors. “I think my mother would be proud. She’s there watching us every day,” he says.

Symeon says he is truly amazed by the generosity of our community and how much is donated to the telethon every year. “It’s become a tradition for many people. I don’t know a person whose life or family hasn’t been touched by cancer in some way,” he said.

Symeon has some observations for business owners who are contemplating involvement in something like the Stomp Out Cancer Telethon.

He says, “You can’t do everything. Nobody can. But, there’s going to be one cause, no matter what it is, that is going to effect someone close to you. Take that something that means something to you and run with it.”