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Jill Marriner, 47 years old, decided to start making and selling sweet chocolate fudges after she found out that she would need a lot of money to fund her life-changing medical treatment for multiple sclerosis in Russia. Jill’s treats had become an overnight sensation that she had to create an online shop and 30 different flavors, SWNS reports.
With the help of her husband Tim, 47 years old, and her son, Josh, 22, Jill is able to run the business called Fab Fudge from her kitchen. She’s about to reach her goal of more than $60,000 in sales and fund her treatment, which she claimed could “reboot” the immune systems of people with MS.
Jill said, “It would be amazing if I could raise enough money to have this treatment. It’s not a cure, but it’s close to a cure. Fab Fudge was born to help me towards that target. I started making it for friends and it was popular. They said, ‘You really should be selling this’, so I did. The rest is history.
“Initially it just looked like brown squares of fudge but over time I’ve experimented and played around with the recipe, with colors and flavors. I wasn’t really making that much at first but it took off overnight. Now omg we have an online shop and we’re getting at least five orders a week.
“We make the fudge fresh in my kitchen and let it set, then chop it and bag it up. It’s like a full-time job – I have to force my body to keep up. I’m really surprised by how successful it has been.”
The treatment, which is called Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant, is a procedure considered to be innovative for its method of harvesting the patient’s stem cells and keeping them stored before the patient undergoes chemotherapy.
Jill, who had to put the mortgage of her house up to aid in raising her funds, said, “I love it. It’s very therapeutic – I have a whale of a time. It has helped with my stress levels and it’s nice because I’m at home and pottering around in my own house. I never thought I would be able to do this.”
She continued, “My illness has destroyed my life. I wasn’t a brilliant mum when my son was little because I was always tired and ill. I asked him what memories he had of his childhood and he said, ‘You were always sick.’ That broke my heart. It was soul-destroying.
“I would love for this treatment to give me my life back. I will always have MS, but it might put the illness into a dormant state. I’ve got a lot of living left to do and MS isn’t invited.”
