Restaurant staff rallies to help co-worker with medical bills

A family-owned restaurant came together to help a woman that works there. Shyann Saxton was diagnosed with a severe brain aneurysm last week.

Now, Saxton needs medical attention. She works at 10 Twenty-Five in Cape Coral. Her co-workers are now rallying to raise money to help her with medical bills.

For those who work at 10 Twenty-Five, Shyann Saxton is a part of their family. She’s always been there for her co-workers and their customers. So they want to do the same for her.

Chad Zollinger owns 10 Twenty Five and describes Saxton as courteous, hardworking and that she always has a smile on her face. “She’s a good-hearted person and you wish people were more like her,” Zollinger said.

Zollinger says Saxton is more than an employee, she’s family. “I’ve known her since she was 15 years old. She worked with me and for me for all that time. Now she’s 28 years old now so she’s kind of like almost like a daughter to me,” he said.

Last week, Saxton received a heartbreaking diagnosis. She has a severe brain aneurysm that needs immediate medical care.

“Obviously, you’re scared for somebody that you care about. And, you want to just and try and stay strong for them and help them,” said Zollinger. As soon as he heard the news, Zollinger wanted to figure out how he could help.

He plans to make sure that Saxton’s work-family can raise money to help with those medical bills. “We do have a little bit of a mountain to climb and we’re not completely sure how much everything is going to cost. But nobody should have to worry about the money. They should worry about the recovery and surviving,” Zollinger said.

While Shyann Saxton waits for her procedure to begin, she will continue to work. “She works really hard. And you would never know it… that she’s dealing with something like that. And so very brave person. Not everybody’s like that,” said Zollinger. He thinks that continuing to work will help Saxton keep her mind off of the stress.

Saxton was the first person Zolligner hired when they opened. He told WINK News that since she took a chance in his restaurant, they’ll always have her back.