Be on the lookout for a popup brownie sale on Byng Road Sunday afternoon.
Eleri Olafston saw sweet success with her pink frosted cupcakes and lemonade recently, so hopes to hit a high again with brownies and iced tea.
“I just wanted to do a lemonade stand,” Eleri says with a mental shrug. But it’s a follow up to her February birthday, when she asked for donations in lieu of gifts.
“I just can’t wait til the day they say they find a cure for cancer, any kind of cancer,” Eleri said.
The Oak Bay youngster, who enters Grade 5 at Willows elementary this fall, already raised nearly $40 that she’ll donate at the end of the summer to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. Eleri’s dad, Rod Olafson, died from a rare and aggressive lymphoma last November.
Six years ago he was diagnosed with a slow growing cancer, B-cell follicular lymphoma which is incurable but can be kept at bay. In July 2014 he started his first treatment in Victoria and was in full remission at the end of December. Less than three months later he became very ill and within 10 days was in a wheelchair with 90 per cent of his bone marrow gone. Rod’s original cancer had mutated into Double-Hit Lymphoma and he was sent to Vancouver for five months of intensive treatment.
Rod was not expected to live but after a month of treatment he was in remission, “the wonder boy of the ward,” said Eleri’s mom Jane Chadwick.
After four treatments as well as 11 spinal chemos and a stem cell transplant in August, Rod was declared cancer free and returned to Oak Bay in early September, in time to celebrate his 51st birthday with family.
Rod relapsed four weeks later and died in November surrounded by family.
“Next time we should do cookies Dad’s Cookies” Eleri says, of the oatmeal raising concoction similar to a brand name cookie of the same name.
“”That’s the recipe name,” Chadwick explains, “and dad loved them too.”
For the weekend sales, Eleri says “mom does the baking” but the youngster sells the wares. She learned from her last venture that a setup near Byng and Hazel might be more successful that right out side the house.
“My teacher from last year, (Julie) Helms came by and then put it (on Facebook),” Eleri said. The stand sold out in what Eleri calls a blustery two hours. She hopes for less wind this weekend.
A friend already brought over three kilograms of iced tea mix, so there shoud be plenty of 50 cent drinks available.
This weekend’s brownies will sell for $1 with iced tea at 50 cents from around 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon on Byng Road.