If something is happening on the 2600 block of South 11th Street in South Philadelphia, George Johnson probably knows about it.
He’s lived within 10 blocks of the area his entire life.
“I’ve lived here 43 years,” he said. “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Johnson knows just about everyone and everything happening in his area, including the best place for neighborhood eats. He’s a regular at Steak ‘Em Up on South 11th Street.
“He comes in every day for coffee,” said Carolyn DiFabrizio, who has worked the counter at Steak ‘Em Up for about 17 years.
Life, though, became daunting when DiFabrizio was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease.
“I had kidney failure. I had congestive heart failure,” she said of her health battle, which turned serious when she got COVID.
That was also while she was already dealing with diabetes and the physical and emotional trauma of losing her son.
DiFabrizio kept working as she did daily at-home dialysis while looking for a kidney donor. Her boyfriend wasn’t a match and her mother couldn’t donate due to her age.