Alexis Kauchick is a 17 year old high school senior at The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Florida. She worries about school and her studies, and she plans to go to college next fall just like any other senior in high school. However, unlike other teens her age, Kauchick is on a mission. She wants to raise awareness on mental illnesses and support organizations researching on these illnesses. “We need to have conversations about mental illness,” she says. “Many people don’t understand what it is and feel uncomfortable talking about it.”
Tragedy strikes twice
Kauchick has had her own personal tragedies related to mental illness. The first struck when her half-brother, Todd, died at 47. He had battled alcoholism for some years. He died from an aortic aneurysm. “At the time, I didn’t realize that his alcohol addiction was likely to have been caused by a mental health problem” says Kauchick.
Only three years later, Kauchick was struck by a second tragedy. Her best friend, Asher Hendel, committed suicide in 2014. He had been suffering from bipolar disorder. “People talked about him like he had died,” recalls Kauchick. “But he’d taken his own life. That’s when I realized people don’t really understand mental illness.”
Shining a light on a taboo subject
Kauchick had learned how to make candles from her late half-brother, Todd who was a candle maker during his free time. It took several months for her to master the use of his equipment after his death. She read through his hand-written notes and began making candles herself. She would sell these candles at craft shows to raise money for a live band for a local home for senior citizens.
“I made over $8,000 from selling the candles,” she says. “But I felt like Todd wanted the candles I made to mean much more.” After the death of her best friend and the realization that her half-brother may have suffered from a mental health issue, Kauchick began to change the direction of her candle making business.
The Eternal Essence Candle Company, which Kauchick founded in 2012, has made more than $70,000 selling candles at local craft shows and through her website. She recently donated $30,000 to the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation. The foundation supports research into early-onset bipolar disorder.
Her actions have inspired other teens to begin conversations about mental health issues amongst youth.
“Mental Illness everywhere,” says Kauchick. “People just want to avoid it because they consider it a taboo or a preventable condition. By bringing it up in conversation, I hope more people will feel comfortable taking about it and will begin to truly understand it.”
Reference
http://www.people.com/article/teen-candlemaker-generational-voice-for-those-battling-mental-illness
