An Origin Story
Starting a business has been a long learning curve, and its not a very exciting tale. Lucky for you, I’m not here to talk about the how, but the WHY I started Lucent Gift, which is much more interesting.
In 2015, my health care providers did not expect I would receive the typical regimen of chemotherapy for my breast cancer. I was diagnosed in November with DCIS (ductal carnicoma in situ) and didn’t go under the knife for nearly four months. I anticipated taking a chemo pill for a year. But, after surgery my path report showed that my breast cancer was invasive and aggressive. I required 18 weeks of chemo and a year of immunotherapy. I had received radiation therapy for colorectal cancer years earlier, and I was relieved and grateful that I would not need to have it again. So, I regrouped and prepared as best as I could for the coming treatment. Out of curiosity, I did a little research on gift collections for cancer patients.
I was shocked at the lack of options.
First, I noticed that there were almost no gifts that were sustainable. Many options were cheaply made off-shore and were a part of a much bigger problem: millions of products that are mass-produced, overpackaged, and swimming in the interminable river of American garbage, a very possible contributor to the rise in cancer diagnoses. This does not say, “I love you and I care.”
I also noticed that many of these gift items were in gimmicky and in poor taste, what my southern grandmothers would call “tacky.” The sheer tidal wave of pink made me want to dry heave. Not to mention, I couldn’t see how useful they were. I wanted to see items hand-selected for their beauty and usefulness, and all I knew was that cheap lavender scented candles would make my nausea worse and another person’s idea of stress-relieving activities was not helpful to me. There was so much room for improvement.
Finally, I wanted to provide items that were heirloom-worthy. I have one or two personal possessions that I used regularly during tragic circumstances, and when I use them now, they help me feel grounded to my story, even the sad parts. I love knowing that the ceramic cup that I used for tea during my treatment will continue to be used by my children, and that they may remember me each time they bring it to their lips. That is the reason I include one in our larger gift box.
Lucent Gift’s mission is to provide gifts that bring beauty and order into a person’s difficult season, if only for a few moments each day. When you order a gift box for your loved one facing diagnosis and treatment, you can be sure everything inside is the result of hundreds of hours of thought, down the the very last detail of packaging. In addition to the gift boxes, we have a section on our site dedicated to personal care items that are non-carcinogenic.
Cancer is devastating and touches everyone at some point. When you are on the sidelines, it can be crippling to find a way to demonstrate love and compassion. When you are the victim, you sometimes do not know what you need or what to say to those who keep asking what they can do.
We are here for you.
All of you.
When words fail, we can help.