5 years ago I was told I had stage 3 cancer. Not the typical words a 21-year-old university student hears...Today marks my 5th anniversary of being diagnosed with cancer, and I wanted to share a little of my story and how it inspired me to create Simple Ritual.
In 2014 I was first diagnosed with stage 3 blood cancer. After a year of chemotherapy and radiation, I relapsed in 2015 with a rare form of cancer. My only option at that point was to undergo a stem cell transplant alongside high-intensity chemotherapy and radiation.
The years to follow my treatments were arguably more difficult than the treatment itself and I turned to holistic medicine and healing to help guide me through fear, anxiety, PTSD, and learning how to live again. Through these years of relearning how to be a functional human being again, I started curating a lifestyle that focused on holistic health and simply just being more mindful of the things in my day to day life. Something that I learned early on was the importance of making time for myself, making time for a moment to stop and take a breath. Putting yourself first isn't bad. It's necessary selfishness in your healing journey.
Fast forward to 2020 when I decided to take my love for holistic wellness to the next level and start Simple Ritual. I wanted a product that was safe for a cancer patient to use and safe for the environment. I wanted a candle that got back to the basics; that was simple, clean-burning and toxin-free. I wanted my business to be sustainable through packaging, labels, and the actual candles themselves. I wanted Simple Ritual to be just that, an intentional simple ritual for you to have in your day, a moment to reconnect with yourself.
Â
If you ever want to read more about my cancer experience and my life after cancer, then you should head over to my personal cancer blog This Infernal Racket.