As a family, Amy saw first hand the struggles a mesothelioma sufferer and family members have to face. Amy, together with her partner Rob decided they wanted to make a difference and support sufferers.
Read Amy's story below:
A new business aimed to support people living with cancer, entirely inspired by my dad.
Our family has been hugely affected by cancer; we sadly lost my dad in 2017 after a 15-month battle with Mesothelioma which has devastated our family. My dad was a kind, gentle man who was hard working and the hub of our family – he was an accountant, so his cancer diagnosis was a huge shock - he must have come in to contact with asbestos during his DIY projects which he loved in his spare time.
One of the major issues we experienced during my dad’s illness was his significant weight loss and helping him receive enough calories, nutrients, and to stay hydrated to support his treatment and recovery. We were always advised if dad could put weight back on, he could have more treatment. However, he struggled with a conventional diet and didn’t have an appetite for the thick and sickly food supplement drinks, however he did find solace in ice lollies as they were refreshing and effortless to consume. My mum used to infuse the prescribed nutritious drinks with fruit and flavours, then freeze them in lolly moulds which dad found more palatable.
After dad’s passing and with nothing to lose, I decided to make a change, so I pivoted my career to become an entrepreneur with big plans to make a difference to people living with cancer. Together with my partner, Rob, we set out to develop a nutritious iced refreshment to help others like my dad. We were determined to provide the nutritional profile of a food supplement with the refreshing experience of an ice lolly and icesupp was born. icesupp would certainly have helped my dad, and I hope it will improve the quality of life of many other patients affected by unwanted weight loss, fatigue and other physical side effects from harsh treatments and the disease itself.
We worked closely with Reading University Food Science department – we had an incredible team of product developers, food scientists and sensory professionals who helped us develop our early prototypes. We have also been lucky to work with an amazing team of advisors and mentors who helped us mould the final formulas which we are now ready to launch.
We are proud that icesupp is the first food supplement of its kind. A frozen real fruit supplement which is 100% plant based, providing a source of protein, source of fibre and key vitamins and minerals and most importantly – its tastes of real fruit too! Our samples have been hugely popular within the healthcare sector. Our production is scheduled for later this summer and our launch is set for August. We have a number of hospitals and cancer charities trialling our products and performing studies on our innovation.
We are passionate to provide more choices for people living with cancer and ultimately improve quality of life when it really counts. Cancer is affecting too many families across the world and our diet plays a huge part in recovery.
Read more about our story and launch here: www.icesupp.com
It was great to hear about this at the Essex Support Group in Chelmsford. Thank you for this information.