Making memories: Family reopens diner, now named for daughter with terminal cancer
A Tri-Cities family doesn’t know how much time they have left with their daughter, so they’re trying to make as many memories with her as they can in the family owned diner her father grew up in.
When the McCallum family opened JD Diner, they named it after their son, Jamie McCallum. Years later Jamie has taken over the business and is passing on the tradition by renaming it Lil’ Moon Diner after his own daughter, Lilia Moon.
For Jamie and his wife Frances, it’s more than just a name. It’s a way to honor and hold on to their 2-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with cancer at just nine months old. Frances said Lilia has stage four soft tissue sarcoma, which originated in the kidney and spread to her lungs, skin, bones and brain.
“We’re not sure how long we’re going to have her with us so, in her honor, we named the restaurant after her,” Jamie said.
At just two years and seven months old Lilia has already undergone aggressive treatment. She did two years of chemotherapy and eight back-to-back days of radiation. She had six surgeries, including brain and kidney operations, as well as one to take a tumor out of her lung. The first tumor doctors removed was when she was only nine months old. It was in her stomach and the size of a cantaloupe.
After all that, the cancer is still present. Lilia is now deemed terminal, so her parents are trying to create lasting moments with her while they can.
Making memories
Lil’ Moon Diner opened July 1 and Lilia has been there every day, hanging out in a play room in the back with a babysitter.
“Any of the food that gets messed up in the kitchen, she gets to eat it ... she’ll say hi to customers and play peek-a-boo,” Frances said. “It’s nice having her here all the time with a space back there for her to play in.”
Her favorite dish is the fried pickles. Lilia loves them so much that her parents named them after her, Lil’ Moon’s Pickles.
Jamie said his mom owns the building but had passed the diner on to different owners over the years. After they were forced to shut down, his mom decided it was time to either sell the building or give it to Jamie and Frances to run themselves.
Frances said running the business has been chaotic so far, because they’ve been working open to close every day and are still training the staff. But even though it has been exhausting in the week the business has been open, she said the best part of owning it was watching the sign go up, and seeing her daughter’s name on it.
“That was like a huge turning point for me, we put in all this work to make something and seeing that happen was probably my favorite part,” she said.
Even though Lilia is starting to get more tired than she used to be, Frances said you would never be able to tell what she has been through.
“She’s running, playing and even now she’ll still want to go outside and (play on) the little slide that she has,” Frances said.
It’s not easy knowing they might lose her, but the little moments of joy are what make this experience so special for the McCallums. Whether it’s Lilia saying hi to the customers or watching her sample the menu, all the hard work has led them here.
“What I hope to remember is being able to build something together as a family, with and for Lilia,” Frances said. “To know that this place will be known as her diner and everybody will think of her when they’re here.”
Lil’ Moon Diner is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is located at 3790 W. Van Giesen St. in West Richland.
This story was originally published July 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
