This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lee Rhodes, founder of Glassybaby. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When my youngest child was born in 1991, my chest would cramp in the oddest way when I was nursing him. I was only 32 and had three children in about three years; I figured my body had been through a lot. But my doctor sent me for an X-ray, then an MRI.
I had all three kids with me, lined up as I got into the MRI machine. The technician told me I’d be in the machine for 70 minutes, but she brought me out after only three minutes. She had tears streaming down her face, and I thought, “There must be a bigger emergency than me.”
Turns out, I was the emergency: I had a large tumor in my right lung. That was a Friday afternoon; on Monday, I had surgery to remove part of my lung.
I found peace in a glass container my husband made
That was the beginning of a six-year battle with stage 4 lung cancer. I did chemo, radiation, and lots of experimental treatments — which eventually worked. I’m one of the lucky ones: I’ve been cancer-free since 2001.
Doing treatments while raising three young children was terrible. But I found solace in the most unexpected place: a glass votive my husband had made for me. When I dropped a candle into the container, I just stared at the beauty of the light and flame. It was a moment of peace, just when I needed one.
I realized other patients didn’t have the same resources I did
Each week, I would get chemotherapy alongside the same patients. We were like a band of brothers, but I realized we didn’t all have the same means to take on this fight. I was bringing a beautiful whole-grain sandwich to eat, while other patients were grabbing Rice Krispies from the vending machine. I didn’t think twice about paying $16 an hour for parking, while others missed chemo sessions because they couldn’t afford to get to the hospital.
I was able to meet my basic needs: quality food, clean air, and good sleep. A lot of the other patients couldn’t, and the unfairness of that wore on me. It can still make me cry, today.
I began thinking about how to connect the peace I felt from my glass votive while helping other cancer patients, especially those who didn’t have the same financial means I did.
A connection to Martha Stewart boosted sales
I sold the first Glassybaby votives on Breast Cancer Awareness Day in 1996, right in the parking lot of the hospital. Before cancer, I was a stay-at-home mom, and I wasn’t thinking about this as a business — just a fundraiser. I connected with local artisans to purchase their glasswork, and donated all of the profits to uncompensated care at the hospital, pretty informally.
As more and more people heard about the glass, demand grew: loved ones of patients began buying multiple Glassybabies and lighting them at the same time to send healing to their loved ones. The impact of flame and color was so meaningful. At the very least, I feel as though it reminds you to be a better person.
After about three years, I realized Glassybaby had real business potential. By 2003, I had opened my own store near my home in Washington. Then, I brought the votives to a friend’s party — a party that Martha Stewart’s boyfriend was attending. He loved the Glassybabies, and brought them home to Martha, which is how I ended up on her show. That’s when sales really blew up. I still remember the stacks and stacks of paper order forms.
My grown kids are still involved with the business
Last year, Glassybaby did over $27 million in sales. As I grew the business has grown, I’ve kept the ethos of giving back. How we do that has evolved over time: at one point, we donated a set percentage of profits, and today, we donate $3 for every Glassybaby we sell. We’ve donated more than $16 million to charities through our foundation, which was founded in 2015. This little candle holder really does good work.
Today, my kids are in their 30s, and they’re all involved with the business in some way. Even my now ex-husband helps with design occasionally — even though I’ve been happily divorced and remarried for decades.
My kids grew up with this company, and in many ways, Glassybaby feels like their sibling, and my fourth child. The company — and the donations it facilitates — have given our lives meaning. It means the world to me that we’ve been able to work together to create something that’s bigger than any of us.
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