A husband put together a barbecue surprise for his wife, an ER nurse, and the overnight staff who are putting their lives on the line during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dustin Neff, husband to Carlee, a registered nurse at Providence Holy Cross in Mission Hills, describes himself as “social media-challenged.”
On Monday evening, he rolled up out of the blue with a big surprise for Carlee and the overnight staff at the hospital. He brought barbecue and all the fixings.
You can't see under my face mask, but I'm smiling!
He said it was the least he could do for people like his wife who are putting themselves in harm’s way to save others.
“You could just see her look, like, 'Oh, wait. That's my husband's truck,’” he said.
Neff doesn't have a Facebook account, or an Instagram account.
He's not on Snapchat, and definitely not Tik-Tok.
With no social media presence, Neff said he didn't do this because he'd seen it on Facebook.
He just wanted to bring a little joy to a place where things have been kind of tough, lately.
The surprise brought tears to Carlee's eyes, and cheers from her coworkers.
“Just a small 'thank you.' That's all,” he said.
The food came from Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas BBQ in Van Nuys.
Carlee's been coming to the spot since she was 7 years old. It’s her all-time favorite.
Stay-at-home orders have taken a huge chunk out of the restaurant's business, but the owner only charged half price. He said for health workers like Carlee, it's worth the loss.
“We know how hard they're working and they need their energy,” Cindy Kaller, head server, said.
The following morning, Neff was back at it to surprise the ER’s day shift, as well.
He provided lunch on him, a couple of companies who pitched in, and, of course, Hogly Wogly.
He's started a GoFundMe page to bring even more barbecue to area fire stations.
“It's just cool to see people smile,” he said. “You can't see under my face mask, but I'm smiling!”
