DETROIT (WXYZ) — Meet Alison Jones, the founder of 'Alive + Kind'. A wife and mother of two, she says the brand's merchandise promotes wellness.
"We started taking life's obstacles like illness and mental health and began making t-shirts out of them. I'm Just happy to be alive," said Alison Jones, founder of Alive + Kind.
Alison created the brand after her husband, Paris, went through one of the most challenging times of his life. In 2019, the 39-year-old filmmaker was diagnosed with advanced-stage multiple myeloma.
"Everything just went black, in the back of your mind, all you're thinking, how much time I got left?" said Paris Jones.
Approximately every nine minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from blood cancer. That’s according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
From initial lower back pain to pneumonia-like symptoms, Paris' condition was deteriorating fast.
"My kidneys were failing, liver, they said I was anemic, and I needed a blood transfusion immediately," said Paris Jones.
"And he was paralyzed. He couldn't even lift a finger. Thankfully ,he knows a lot of people that can help, and so everybody was calling me going, like what do you need? How can we help?" said Alison.
Organizations like the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan also made an impact. The foundations' president Heidi Grix says they took care of everything from reimbursing patient and caregiver travel expenses to covering prescription bills.
"One of the first things we did, we provided his family with holiday toys, which you don't think about when you think about people who are diagnosed with cancer," said Grix.
In fact, last holiday season, the foundation got Christmas gifts for nearly 750 children. In 2022, they also provided over $100,000 in financial support.
"We want you to be successful, we want you to get past this disease and we want to help you do it," Grix added.
Thanks to the collective help, Paris underwent a stem cell transplant in 2020. He is now in maintenance, where he receives chemo once a month.
"Having good health and having the good people around you that you love that's the most important things," said Paris.
Meanwhile, Alison is giving back to the community by dedicating a percentage of 'Alive + Kind' sales to the foundation.
"I want to help other families who have been through what we have been through become more financially stable," said Alison.
Paris is now working on a documentary that will be released this year, showing folks his battle against cancer.
For more info, head to http://www.paris-films.com.
To check out Alive + Kind merchandise, visit https://aliveandkind.com.
Also, if you or your loved one has blood cancer and needs assistance or would like to donate to the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan, head to bloodcancerfoundationmi.org.
