Inside Cliff’s Kitchen: a story of overcoming and building anew
Inside Cliff’s Kitchen, you’ll find the home chef whipping up mouth-watering dishes like pecan pie, fried catfish, ribs, lasagna and his staple 13 cheese mac and cheese. Behind the chef, though, is a lengthy battle with his own body that started in February 2026.
The 45-year-old began experiencing issues with his stomach, where part of it had begun hanging down in front of the lower half of his legs. On February 4, 2026, two ulcers opened and he was rushed to the emergency room at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Milwaukee.
“They did a CT scan that day, and they found swollen lymph nodes, and a few other indicators that pointed toward cancer,” Cliff said. “They found some things that showed it could be cancer on my lungs, but we did some tests to eliminate that. That’s when I had the PET scan."
Cliff’s PET scan showed cancer in his liver, lungs, blood and possibly his bones. A biopsy on the lymph nodes in his neck revealed the diagnosis: stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma.
Despite the cancer diagnosis, Cliff’s main concern remained his stomach. His wound was exposed, and he had to continuously buy new and bigger clothes to accommodate the swelling.
Getting approval for the surgery was a challenge in itself, as his insurance denied him three times. His oncologist at the Reiman Cancer Center, Dr. Anand Patel, made sure it didn’t happen a fourth time.
“Dr. Patel really fought for me. He wouldn’t start chemo until I had the surgery to remove fluid and care for the two open wounds,” Cliff shared. “He got it passed, insurance finally went for it, and my surgeon Dr. Nicholas Meyer didn’t give up on me either. He was there for me throughout it all.”
On March 11, 2026, Cliff underwent surgery with Dr. Meyer that resulted in 94 pounds of fluid being removed from his abdomen. During his month of recovery, Cliff visited the wound care team at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Milwaukee three to four times a week, where he shared, “everyone was phenomenal, and they always kept me upbeat.”
Cliff started chemotherapy at Reiman on April 9. He visited the cancer center every Thursday, fighting through exhaustion and other side effects related to treatment.
Unable to work, Cliff struggled at times to make ends meet. There was a light, though, when the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Foundation gave him $500 toward his rent. That gift inspired him to pay it forward and help others experiencing hardship due to their diagnosis.
“When you don’t have anything, that support means the world and I wanted to pass it on,” Cliff shared. “I wanted that blessing to be passed on to someone else, so that was my goal for my birthday fundraiser, I wanted to see if we could raise $500.”
Cliff did just that. He raised $500 to give to patients at the Reiman Cancer Center, and delivered the donation just two weeks after ringing the bell to mark the completion of treatment.
During his last appointment, he also made sure staff got a taste of Cliff’s Kitchen, delivering a pan of homemade lasagna as a thank-you for the care they provided.
“Everyone has been phenomenal, and I’m grateful for that because that made everything that much better. I made it a point to make them lasagna before I left, I had to leave my mark,” he shared.
Now, as Cliff looks ahead, he’s taking things one day at a time.
“Being done with treatment doesn’t feel real yet. Right now, I just want to take it day by day and figure out what’s next.”
