Adam Prudhomme
Editor
When Blush Beauty Co. owner Danya Blais heard the heartbreaking story of an 18-month-old girl from Selby’s battle with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, she was compelled help.
After a quick brainstorm, Blais created a fundraising event for Nov. 22 that will see 100 per cent of all services, gratuities, along with 50 per cent of all product sales made at the spa that day, donated to the family.
“I had a client come in on Saturday and she gifted her friend a facial and massage because she’s super stressed out,” Blais recalled of how she first heard of young Alice’s story. “Then just hearing her story, she didn’t ask me for anything, but just hearing her story, the family doesn’t seem to have a lot of support so I thought we can put this together.”
Money raised from the event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will be used to offset the ever growing costs associated with multiple trips to Sick Kids in Toronto-food, parking, medications, hotels and missed work.
“In so many ways she’s your typical child but in other ways she can’t be that typical girl,” Blais wrote in a Facebook post. “Alice is currently awaiting direction from Sick Kids for her second solid fight against hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. At six months she underwent surgery with high hopes of hearing there was only a five per cent chance of (the disease) returning. Five per cent was not enough sadly. It has returned in a different area. As a mom, my heart breaks and my eyes swell just thinking of how difficult this must be. The unknown is just as scary as the known and can leave you helpless. After talking with this strong momma and hearing their story I decided to try pulling our community together to help in a way that could possibly ease their daily stress.”
The Town of Greater Napanee has given the spa, located at 48 Dundas Street E., permission to block off a section of parking for curbside sales and donations. Wade Mitchell of Exit Realty has donated a tent for the event while Eminence Organic Skincare will also be donating to the cause.
Along with donating all money from services that day, Blush Beauty Co. will also be putting together raffle prizes and the first 25 people to make a drive-thru donation to the cause will receive a gift bag.
Anyone looking to book an appointment for Nov. 22 can do so by visiting BlushBeautyNapanee.co.