Kelly Youssef is a whirlwind of energy, a 5-foot-2 spitfire whose laughter and chatter have filled Atlanta restaurants for over three decades.
With her French charm and Brazilian warmth, she’s not just a server — she’s a beloved fixture, a friend to countless patrons who adore her broad smile and lively spirit.
But life has thrown Youssef a curveball, not once but twice, with head and neck cancer, followed by a treatable but incurable cancer, High-Grade B-cell follicular Lymphoma, all within two years.
Kindness has helped her keep fighting.
“I am here today not because of my own heroic attributes but because of an amazing network of love and care that surrounded me,” said Youssef, a server at LaPetite Maison in Sandy Springs.
Her cancer journey started in 2021. After catching and rebounding from COVID-19, she developed a persistent cough. She also had a nagging earache that lasted nearly six months. Finally, she went to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, who quickly identified a tumor on her tonsils and rushed her into surgery. The pathology report confirmed the presence of squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that was found in her head and neck.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Youssef faced 35 radiation treatments, followed by seven weeks of chemotherapy. “It felt like they were putting me in a microwave,” she said.
She says she survived by keeping a running countdown of her remaining treatments.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Kelly Youssef
Credit: Photo courtesy of Kelly Youssef
Stephanie Jaoeun Spells, owner of LaPetite Maison, cut short her family vacation in France in 2021 after hearing that Youssef had cancer. She did the same in 2023.
“Kelly’s not just an employee, she’s a good friend,” Spells said. “We’re different from most restaurants. We really are a family.”
When Youssef was too sick to work, Spells did double duty, running the restaurant and waiting tables. Everything she earned as a server she donated to Youssef.
“It was very panicky for Kelly because as a server, if you don’t work, you don’t have any money,” Spells said. “I promised her: ‘I’ve got you. Don’t worry. Just get better.’”
The response from the restaurant’s customers — especially the regulars — was overwhelming. On days when Youssef felt good enough to come in and wait tables, she’d receive oversized tips. Others brought her flowers, cards, and handmade artwork from their children. Youssef hung all the cards and gifts she could on a wall in her garage, which became a sanctuary where, when she couldn’t eat or sleep, she could find peace.
Restaurant customers, along with Youssef’s wide circle of friends, also contributed to two GoFundMe accounts, some multiple times and some with donations of hundreds of dollars at a time.
“We are very blessed to have a lot of regular customers,” Spells said, “and she knows them all.”
Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers, was there for Youssef, making sure her bills were paid every month.
She is still overwhelmed by the generosity.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
“These people have been there for me, not once but twice. I find that mesmerizing,” she said. “They put me under their wings. It’s a miracle all they have done.”
The 55-year-old fireball’s hello is often a smile and a wraparound hug. She’s a positive person and says she considers a smile part of her uniform.
Spells said Youssef is “a ray of sunshine” and a hardworking person who loves talking with her customers,
“She can stay too long at a table because she’s got to catch up with them,” her boss said.
Youssef, who had a French father and Brazilian mother, is comfortable with her tendency to chatter.
“I moved to the United States because I love to talk,” she said. “I’m a little talking machine. I love interacting with people, and, in their own, language is better.”
Youssef finished her chemo for the lymphoma last December, and she’s six months into a two-year treatment program aimed at prolonging remission. She said Northside Hospital worked with her on the $1 million bill for her first surgery, and she’s working through new ones that keep piling up.
But Youssef says she’ll be ready to fight again, even if the cancer comes back.
She hopes her story will inspire other communities and uplift those currently battling cancer.
“I feel deep in my heart the need to pay homage of some sort to my community,” she said. “This is my story to tell. But this story is about them.”
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