"Fundraiser Planned for Missy’s Family Restaurant Daughter After Cruise Crisis"
By Corey Plante
August 21, 2025 | The Valley Breeze
Missy's Family Restaurant owner Judy Beauchemin says the thought of not having her daughter walk back into the restaurant would be the day she would close the doors forever.
Earlier this month, Beauchemin’s daughter, Tabitha Westerhuis, faced a medical emergency while on a cruise in the the Atlantic Ocean. She was rushed off the ship in Iceland after developing sepsis from a burst appendix and underwent emergency surgery about 2,400 miles from home.
“I was worried to death,” Beauchemin said. “I was crying all the time and kept thinking, ‘If I can’t see my daughter again, I don’t know what I’m going to do.’”
Westerhuis survived, but she returned home facing tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills and other unexpected, related expenses.
To help cover the costs, family and friends are organizing a fundraiser on Sunday, Aug. 24, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Elks Lodge on Social Street. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
The evening will feature Missy’s signature "beer and dynamite" meal, raffles, live music by Polka Paul, and a performance by psychic medium Dawn Carr. Tickets are available at Missy’s Family Restaurant and Timeless Antiques & Collectibles on Main Street.
The ordeal began when Westerhuis, 40, boarded a cruise out of New York on Aug. 12 with her husband, Jason. After visiting Canada and Greenland, she began feeling severe abdominal pain and was seen by the ship’s doctors.
Tests showed signs of infection, and as her condition worsened she was taken off the vessel in Iceland, where doctors confirmed her appendix had ruptured and sepsis had set in.
Ship staff kept her on IV fluids and antibiotics until she could reach the hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery and spent two nights in recovery.
“I thank God they did it laparoscopically,” Beauchemin said, noting that a more invasive operation could have kept her daughter in the hospital far longer.
But the medical bills quickly piled up.
The cruise line charged $6,600 for onboard treatment, while the Icelandic hospital billed her $17,000. With added expenses for hotels, transportation, and even the loss of canceled excursions, the family estimates the total cost of the emergency exceeded $25,000.
Beauchemin noted that while the trip of a lifetime unfortunately turned into an utter nightmare, they were all grateful that Tabitha returned home safe.
“They had to max out every one of their credit cards,” Judy said. “But I told her, ‘Tabitha, you’re alive. That’s what matters more to me than anything else.’”
Beyond her work at the family restaurant, Westerhuis is well known for her community service.
In early 2023, she was crowned Mardi Gras Queen after years of participating and fundraising for the Northern Rhode Island Council of the Arts celebration. That fall, when she won the top prize in the annual Autumnfest button raffle, she donated the money right back into Missy’s Holiday Fund.
The fund supports Missy's Annual Thanksgiving Dinner, which provides more than a thousand free holiday meals to city residents in need.
Over the years, Westerhuis has also lent her time to the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center, New Beginnings, Autumnfest, and various school field trips. Friends describe her as someone eager to create a legacy of service for her own two children.
“She’s always been a giver,” Judy said.
According to her mother, that generosity has made it difficult for Westerhuis to accept help now.
“She feels uncomfortable about taking the money,” Judy said. “She doesn’t think she deserves it. But I tell her, we’ve been giving for so many years. It’s okay to accept a little help.”
The fundraiser for Tabitha takes place Sunday, August 24, 2025 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Elks Lodge on Social Street.
