Meet Leah Goldenberg of Chronic Love Bracelets in Fenway

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Goldenberg.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In the summer of 2016, I was diagnosed with a painful chronic illness. It took many months for my doctors to figure out a treatment plan for me. I was home twenty-four hours a day and was going stir crazy. As all of my friends were starting their journey to college, I was home in incredible amounts of pain and growing lonelier as each day went by.

After a few months of watching every movie ever made, I remembered that in summer camp I used to make friendship bracelets. One of the stitches I most enjoyed making was the heart stitch. I made a bunch for my family and friends and eventually they did not want anymore.

I turned online to see if there were other people like me that were homesick and could use a pick me up. I found a Facebook group called “Sick Chicks” which is a support group for chronically ill girls. I asked the girls online if I could make them bracelets and a lot of people were interested in them.

I then turned to Instagram and found an even larger chronic illness community. I decided to make the bracelets in the awareness colors for each individual girl’s illness so that it could be more personal.

I called my bracelets Chronic Love Bracelets because they are for people with chronic illnesses to know that they are loved and that they are not alone and that although their illnesses are hard to deal with, that their illness is part of them and adds to each of their unique beauty. It has now been over a year and a half and I have sent over 350 bracelets around the world.

Has it been a smooth road?
Noooooooo. It has been really hard for me to keep this project going. There are days when I want to stop making bracelets because I have other things going on, and times when I am just too sick to make them.

Now that I am in remission I have started university and it has been difficult to manage to make bracelets with my school work. I also pay for a lot of my materials and postage myself and my family has put a decent amount of money into funding my project.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Well, I think I answered a lot of these questions in a previous question. I love Chronic Love Bracelets. I think my company is known within the chronic illness community for bringing joy and love to people that are in a tough place with their illness. Living with a serious chronic illness is hard and so lonely.

It is hard to motivate yourself to get better when no one understands what you are going through. I try to let my followers know that they are not alone. Yes, their road is tough and they have people that love and care about them. I think what sets me apart is that my bracelets are free for people living in the USA. I have to charge $2 for shipping if a customer lives outside of the USA.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think for my company it really is online so it does not matter where I am. I started Chronic Love Bracelets from my couch at home in Marblehead, Massachusetts and took it with me to college in Boston. I would say that being in Boston is great though because of all of the hospitals treating people with chronic illnesses.

Pricing:

• free in the USA
• $2 for shipping if outside of USA

Contact Info:

• Email: lgoldenberg@rocketmail.com
• Instagram: @chroniclovebracelets
• Facebook: https: facebook.com/chroniclovebracelets/

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