Austin business owner, cancer survivor raising funds to help kids battling cancer

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin business owner and cancer survivor is helping kids with cancer and their families. 

Mr. Gatti’s Pizza franchise owner Bill Boone has helped raise almost a million dollars for the Periwinkle Foundation.

In 1975, Bill Boone was a lawyer for Mr. Gatti’s Pizza, writing the original franchise agreement and eventually becoming a full-time franchisee himself.

Boone then started having some medical issues. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998.

"When you somebody says you have cancer, that’s a pretty scary word," Boone said.

He had prostate cancer surgery and received a clean bill of health, but then he was diagnosed with chronic leukemia and different skin cancers. 

"I’m very fortunate that I’ve gone to good doctors through the years and most everything I’ve had has been caught in the early stages, and that’s really the key to successful survival," Boone said.

Now he wants to help others. Boone is raising funds to help children with cancer and their families.

"I thought pizza and kids, that’s perfect, right," Boone said. "So if you come in, we’ll say if you’ll give me $2 to benefit kids with cancer, I’ll give you a $2 coupon for your next visit."

In the past 15 years, Boone has raised about $900,000 for the Periwinkle Foundation.

"Their goal is to create programs that will positively benefit children and families with cancer that are being treated by Texas Children’s Hospital," Boone said.

The money raised helps send children and their families to camp.

"The kids at camp are underprivileged, with cancer, some of them homeless," Boone said. "It will bring tears to your eyes."

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On the last day of camp, it’s a pizza party.

"We take a mobile Mr. Gatti’s Pizza wagon down there and set it all up and cook Mr. Gatti’s pizza for all the kids at camp," Boone said. "They seem to enjoy that."

Donations are accepted at every Mr. Gatti’s Pizza store.

"These kids are having a tough enough time without the cancer, so you throw the cancer on top of that, and it’s really rewarding to try to do what you can to help them," Boone said.