By: Cara Latham
EAST WINDSOR Township resident Elycia Norton recently received a thank-you letter in the mail from a bride who had purchased custom-designed bracelets for herself and her bridal party.
Not only did the bracelets made from periwinkle blue Swarovski crystal and sterling silver accompany the occasion well, but they also had special meaning to the bride. The cancer-awareness jewelry provided a way to incorporate the memory of her brother, who died from cancer, into the wedding.
Ms. Norton, 33, said she was surprised that the bride, who she had never met, took the time to mail her a note. However, she said, the response was typical of some of the positive feedback she’s been getting since she began selling the homemade bracelets on her Web site VaelDesigns.com with the goal of raising $1,000 for cancer awareness by the end of the year.
And through the process, she said, she has talked with people whose family members or friends were battling the disease "stories that I would never be able to hear about" without the Web site and has learned a lot from them.
"In the middle of last year, I decided to launch a cancer-awareness bracelet that represented all the different types of cancer," she said. "There’s so many people in my life that were being affected by cancer in one shape or form."
Ms. Norton said she was inspired by her mother, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2001.
"We were extremely proud of her," she said.
Since beginning to sell her bracelets online (the general cancer awareness bracelet has varying colors of crystals and a sterling silver awareness ribbon), she has also designed bracelets for some of the distinct forms of cancer each bracelet features crystals of one color that represent each form.
The breast cancer awareness bracelet features pink sSwarovski crystals.
"Every time I make one, it’s for my mom," she said. "We’re so proud she made it through when so many haven’t."
In addition to being touched by her mother’s strength to overcome cancer, a friend’s daughter passed away from Lleiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the smooth muscle cells. So, Ms. Norton designed a bracelet for that type of cancer, and donates money to that cause as well.
"I wanted to understand what I was raising awareness about," Ms. Norton said. "I did a lot of research about that kind of cancer. It also made me want to help even more, to try to raise even more."
Ms. Norton donates $5 from every cancer bracelet usually priced at $20 to $25 to reach her goal of $1,000. So far, she said she has raised $320. The proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society and the National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation.
The bracelets are not like the popular cancer awareness bands made of rubber that can be purchased from a retail store.
"I wanted something that’s a little more fancier," she said. "They’re made with the Swarovski crystal. They can go with multiple outfits. You can wear it to work."
Sales of the bracelets really picked up in December, "and each month seems to be progressively better," she said. "Word of mouth is also huge. It’s picking up as time goes, and I really hope I do make my goal by the end of the year."
She also said that by raising awareness, she can help others, even if they have not been touched by cancer in their own lives, by reminding them to get check-ups.
Ms. Norton’s business grew out of a hobby that started with walks on the beach in Cape May Point with her father, who used to make jewelry as well. The two would collect pebbles, rocks, beach glass and other stones on the beach.
Her sister, who also inherited her father’s hobby, began getting more creative and started making homemade jewelry.
Last year, Ms. Norton, turned the hobby into a business Vael Designs and created her online store. The name comes from the first two letters of her sister’s name (Vanessa) and her own.
Ms. Norton, who has a 19-month-old daughter and works full-time during the day, makes her jewelry, which includes earrings, bracelets and necklaces, after her family goes to bed.
Even if she reaches her cancer-awareness fundraising goal, she said she won’t stop there.
"I think it will set the bar higher for next year," she said.

