LA MESA WOMAN’S CORNUCOPIA SITE OFFERS GIFTS TO NOURISH BREAST CANCER PATIENTS IN BODY AND SOUL

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By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

October 21, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Friends and family of breast cancer patients going through chemotherapy might start with pink scarves, pink hats, and pink t-shirts as gifts of support.  La Mesa resident A. Michelle Herrmann launched Cornucopia LLC, available online at www.CornucopiaBox.com, to offer “nourishment for an abundant life,” including recipes nutritionally tailored for cancer patients as well as personal care items for women battling breast cancer and more.

She can help you send thoughtful, useful gift packages such as a mulberry silk pillowcase, useful for patients who have lost their hair, that will help stop the chafing of hair shafts while they are growing back, plus many more items.  A Cancer-Fighting Kitchen Cookbook by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, fanciful chemo IV bag labels, a lacy racerback bra and a detox deodorant are just a few more of the products that she offers.

To Herrmann it is personal---she lost her mother to cancer after a four-year fight in 2013.  Her mother, Rebecca (Becky) Mulreaney, was diagnosed with a non-specific cancer after getting a cyst checked on her chest. It had metastasized.  Michelle went through the experiences from start to finish with her mother. Both lived in Baltimore at the time. The year her mother was diagnosed was the year her mother’s ex-husband remarried.

“My mom was diagnosed in 2009 and she fought for four years. I didn’t know much about the nutrition.  She knew to stay away from sugar so we made some changes.  She was really scared of what to eat,” explained Herrmann. “The doctor didn’t give much insight.”

She adds, “I saw the outpouring of love from friends and family.  People just wanted to help. She would receive flowers and flowers die.  She would receive trinket gifts.” Herrmann relayed even more of their backstory. “My dad had prostate cancer but he fought through it.” Her parents had divorced in the mid 2000s.

Herrmann lived with her mother at the time and Mulreaney’s older sister moved in as well to be a caretaker.

“She had countless scarves and blankets.  She had a meal train (where neighbors/friends sign up to provide a meal).  But a lot of the meals were comfort food and she was scared of certain foods,” Herrmann noted.

“So many want to help but were not necessarily sending the right gifts that are helpful.  I thought, why not start a website that carried products that were approved by a nutritionist, that were non-toxic?”  Herrmann recalled.  Several years after her mother’s passing, Herrmann launched a website in May 2017, named www.cornucopiabox.com, that offers a collection of products that can be bought separately or together in a package. The word cornucopia, to Herrmann, is a symbol of nourishment and abundance.

Herrmann, who has a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College and a Master’s of Science in holistic nutrition from Hawthorn University, started researching what products she wanted to package together that all chemotherapy patients can use.

Dr. Emily Telfair, a naturopathic doctor, said this. “When the nervous system relaxes, the immune system has more opportunity to heal. The items included in The Nourish Package help reduce the stress and side effects associated with cancer treatments while supporting quality of life.”

One of Herrmann’s customers said, “This is such a great service for patients.  It’s so nice to have items that help in treatment and also make me feel pampered” added Sara Anderson, who has survived cervical cancer since 2010. 

Herrmann, met and married her husband, Tom, in Baltimore and they followed her sister out to San Diego. Herrmann is the eldest of three children. They bought a house in La Mesa and plan on starting a family.  They have two dogs and also care for her sister’s golden retriever, who suffers from kidney failure.

One of a number of items and packages she offers online this month includes a new package called “Breastie Package.” Herrmann said, “I carry over 20 different products.”

The cookbook she carries offers up recipes such as Poached Pears with Saffron Broth plus many more mouth-watering choices. The package and cookbook are just a part of her products.  She is also active in research and development of new products and lines.

Hermann will offer free shipping to those who wish to buy products for loved ones or themselves by using the promotion code EASTCOUNTY on www.cornucopiabox.com. She accepts all major credit cards, PayPal, is on Amazon, and takes Apple Pay.

Lastly, Herrmann offers, “I see my business as unique because I focus on organic products and health from a holistic viewpoint.”


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