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THUNDER BAY — When Thunder Bay candle maker, Kate Strange, learned of a way her candles could make a difference for cancer research, she jumped at the chance to help bring breast cancer awareness to women of all ages while raising funds for research.
This week, she presented the Northern Cancer Research Foundation with $4,000 from proceeds of sales of her pink champagne Boobie Candles for Kailey.
Strange, who is the owner of the candle shop, Waxxed, learned of Kailey Elvish, a 33-year-old newlywed with a baby on the way. In the third trimester of her pregnancy she discovered a lump in her breast. Elvish’s son Griffin was born in November of 2021 and a month later she was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer.
“I figured it was related to my pregnancy but as time moved on, I knew something wasn’t right,” Elvish said. “It was a lot at once. I was the mom of a newborn, and then the cancer, but when I was diagnosed, there was an outpour of love and support . . . and it was really hard to even accept that.”
Meanwhile, Willow Burford, Elvish’s friend who also delivered a baby girl around the same time as Griffin was born, asked Strange if her company could develop a candle to sell in support of breast cancer research in Elvish’s name.
“Our babies are one week apart, and we are on totally different journeys into new motherhood,” said Burford. “It was a way to support her and to spread awareness and to let everybody out there know.“
“I was 100 per cent down behind it,” said Strange, who was travelling in Australia at the time.
“When we came back, we threw it together in a week, I think less than a week. Boobs, breasts, boobies, hooters, knockers, melons . . . whatever you call them, we want you to check them. This was an opportunity to produce something that supports others and shed light on a young woman’s cancer journey.”
Each candle label features different types of drawn breasts, including the option to sketch your own. Waxxed sold 200 Boobie Candles in a week.
“We want to make this a comfortable subject for young women to discuss and this is a way to connect,” Strange said. “People really care about this stuff, but a lot of the time we’re afraid to talk about it.”
Elvish added, “Your age doesn’t matter and women should be able to do self exams at home and to know how to do it properly. If they do feel something, don’t just brush it off. Just get it looked at even if you go through testing and find out that it’s nothing. It’s not a waste of time.”
Elvish will undergo her fourth round of chemotherapy next week and will have surgery later in the spring. She remains motivated by her four-month-old son. Boobie Candles are available at Waxxed with proceeds continuing to go to the Northern Cancer Research Foundation.
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