Boss sells restaurant he has owned for 17 years to pay medical costs for employee, 19, with brain tumor

Michael De Beyer is selling Kaiserhof Restaurant in Montgomery, Texas after learning that one of his servers, Brittany Mathis, has a brain tumor

Brittany's mother and sister also work at the restaurant

Her father John died from an undetected brain tumor in 2000

De Beyer believes the restaurant is worth $2 million but is wanting to auction it off at a reserve price to help the family



A generous boss is selling the restaurant he has owned for 17 years to help a 19-year-old employee suffering from a brain tumor.

Brittany Mathis, whose father died suddenly from a brain tumor when she was just a child, was diagnosed last month - but does not have health insurance to cover the costs of her treatment.

Now Michael De Beyer, the German-born owner of Kaiserhof Restaurant and Wunderbar in Montgomery, Texas, has offered to sell his life's work to help the young server.

'I'm not able to just sit by and let it happen,' he told the Montgomery Courier. 'I couldn't live with myself; I would never be happy just earning money from my restaurant knowing that she needs help.'

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Diagnosis: Brittany Mathis, 19, has a tumor the size of a ping pong ball in her brain - but no health insurance

Compassion: Her boss, Michael De Beyer is going to sell his restaurant so that he can pay for her care

Mathis, whose older sister and mother also work at the same restaurant, first noticed something was wrong when she saw a rash on her leg.



'I went to the hospital and found out it was my blood clotting,' Mathis told KHOU. 'So they wanted to keep me and do CAT scans and MRIs and the next day they came in and told me I had a tumor.'

Mathis, who says she suffers from painful headaches, was told she had a brain tumor the size of a ping pong ball in the left side of her brain, the Courier reported.

But despite the diagnosis, she has not gone ahead with treatment; she doesn't have heath insurance and has not yet signed up for Affordable Healthcare.

Touched: Brittany's mother, Barbara, who also works for De Beyer, says he has always been there for the family

Family tragedy: Barbara's husband and Brittany's father, John (top left), died suddenly in 2000 at the age of 33 after an undetected brain tumor ruptured

On hearing of the family's plight, De Beyer, a married father-of-two, told them he was going t o sell his family's 6,000-square-foot restaurant to donate money to them.

'Here's a family, they really work hard, they have a lot of stuff against them in the past and they are not holding their hand open. They didn't even ask anybody for help,' De Beyer told KHOU.

He believes the restaurant is worth about $2 million and, before learning of Brittany's health issues, turned down an offer of $1.3 million.

'But now I want to auction it off at a reserve price [or minimum bid - 50 percent of the actual value] and anything above that will go to help Brittany,' he said.

He told KHOU that after selling the restaurant, he will spend more time with his wife and children.

Up for sale: He believes the restaurant is worth $2 million but wants to auction it off to help Brittany

Business: He has owned the German-themed restaurant in Montgomery, Texas for 17 years

The offer comes 14 years after Brittany's father, John, died suddenly at the age of 33 after an undetected brain tumor at the back of his skull ruptured suddenly.



'I guess sort of the same thing Brittany is going through,' said Brittany's mother Barbara Mathis, who is manager of the bar and restaurant.

'Michael has been a real blessing to our family. And he's just always been there whenever we've needed anything.'

Brittany added: 'I really think it's an amazing blessing and can't thank him enough.'

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