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Austin florist fights cancer battle in Valentine's season
One local florist says she’s in the fight of her life, but she’s still spreading joy to others this Valentine's day.
AUSTIN, Texas - One local florist says she’s in the fight of her life, but she’s still spreading joy to others this Valentine's Day.
Florist fights cancer battle
Carly Blair was diagnosed with late stage rectal cancer in October.
Now she's asking the community to support her and her business simply by buying flowers this Valentine's Day.
For years, Carly Blair has helped others celebrate life’s most precious moments.
She opened her hospitality firm, Margot Blair, in central Austin in 2009.
What they're saying:
"We do flowers. We do concierge services. We have pretty much if you need to impress somebody, we're who you call," said Blair.
But last year her life took an unexpected turn.
In May, she survived a head-on crash, suffering a shattered leg and serious concussion.
As she was beginning to recover, she made a devastating discovery.
"About the time I was able to start walking again, which was late September, early October. Just started to realize that even though the surgery had passed, all of that, I was still really sick. And so I went to the doctor and discovered that I had almost stage 3b rectal cancer," said Blair.
Keeping up with business
Since her diagnosis, Blair has continued running her business while undergoing aggressive rounds of chemotherapy with radiation and surgery still ahead.
"My off weeks, I come back to life, and I'm able to do stuff. The weeks that I'm in chemotherapy, it's life-altering, to say the least," said Blair.
Carly Blair
As she prioritizes her health, Blair is moving the business online for now.
"People will still be able to buy flowers online. We're not going anywhere. We're just kind of going for a little bit simpler approach right now while we get through cancer and the things that follow over the summer," said Blair.
She’s inviting the community to stop by her store on West 35th street on Saturday for one final day of shopping before that transition.
And just in time to pick up those Valentine’s Day flowers.
Valentine's Day season
Sharing flowers with others has been a bright spot for her in a dark season.
"Delivering flowers is my favorite part of this business because you get to see people's reaction when they receive them. It's never a bad day when people get their flowers and they're so excited. So that brings me a lot of joy, and it just has given me something to focus on other than the ugly parts," said Blair.
Through all of Blair's obstacles, she’s remained resilient, something she intends to do with cancer.
"There's always good if you look for it. And I think that that's something that I try to focus on the good, and that's helping me getting through the dark times," said Blair.
Carly Blair
She has every intention for the business to return in full force in the future but needs the support of the community in the meantime.
If this season has taught her anything its to slow down and stop and smell the roses.
"What people don't realize is after Valentine's Day, oh, it's a big surge, but then the dip. So, buy flowers next week and the week after. That would be really, really helpful just to keep things going with the business," said Blair.
She has every intention for the business to return in full force in the future, but for now she needs the support of the community.
What you can do:
If you can’t make it into the store, Blair says online ordering is still available.
More information can be found at her website. There's also an active GoFundMe for Blair, which you can access here.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Carly Blair.