It started with one cup of coffee.
Dan Dewey's dad, Edgar Dewey, sat in a chair with tubes pumping chemotherapy into his veins in the cancer treatment center of St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital here.
But one Thursday morning in 2007, he told his son he'd like a cup of coffee. Before Dan Dewey left for a Starbucks down the street, they asked other patients in the room whether they'd like a cup, too.
"He's treating. I've got his wallet, and the nurse is holding him down," Dewey recalls saying at the time.
One cup became several. And now, Dewey's weekly order consists of 20 or more drinks, depending on how many patients are at the cancer center when he arrives.
He is there every Thursday morning, even though his dad died in 2008.
"We love Dan," said Kathy Courtney, oncology nurse and unit manager. "He's here rain or shine; blizzard or tornado. No matter what's going on out there, we know at 10 o'clock, he's going to be here. It's definitely a mood-lifter, and a positive attitude is beneficial for any patient going through cancer treatment."
Everyone knows to expect him: the staff and patients at the hospital, as well as the folks at Starbucks, where workers have come to fill Dewey's orders so efficiently, they rarely get complaints from customers anymore.
Dan Dewey, 65, used to pay for the drinks -- averaging about $50 a trip -- out of his own pocket before a Starbucks staffer stepped in.
One of the baristas, Valerie Edgington, 46, of Waterford, Mich., decided last year to create a special debit-like card through which people can donate money for coffee runs. People can put money on the card in person, via www.danscoffeerun.net or a Facebook page she set up. She also made T-shirts that sell for $20 and stickers ($5) to help spread the word and encourage contributions.
"He never asked for anything special," Edgington said. "He just came in every Thursday ordering all these different drinks. Finally, I asked him what he was doing, and I wanted to help."
"It's so special it brings tears to your eyes," said cancer patient Mechelle Burdette, 45, of Eastpointe, Mich. "It gives you the strength to make it through, just knowing the kind of people who are out there."
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
Copyright 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.