Subscription box was designed for those who can't leave the house due to chronic illness
Living with a chronic illness often means being stuck inside for long periods of time.
Whether a person is healing from medical procedures, living with a suppressed immune system or needs substantial amounts of rest, having a long-lasting illness or condition often requires dedicated self-care -- or, simply, cures for boredom.
A subscription box service called Be Brave Box was designed specifically to "brighten the bad days" of those living with chronic illnesses. The boxes, created by 16-year-old Taylor Nadraszky, are filled with items that come in handy when subscribers are too sick or tired to leave the house.
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"This isn't just a subscription box," Nadraszky writes on the Be Brave Box website. "It's a community to connect with others who go through the same thing."
The Canadian teenager was inspired to create the boxes after receiving a kidney transplant to treat her chronic kidney disease in August 2015. Though the life-saving operation was essential, the procedure meant Nadrasky was unable to leave the house for six weeks due to a suppressed immune system.
"I want Be Brave Box to be a good part of life because we just need more 'good' in our lives."
"When I wasn't allowed to go into crowds, [I] knew that I wanted to connect with others that also experience the daily life of chronic illness," she writes on the Be Brave Box website.
The boxes, which are delivered every other month, are filled with about five items meant to facilitate self-care or curb potential boredom.
Past boxes have included anti-nausea wristbands, a "spoonie" pin, a sleep mask and an embroidery kit. With current currency exchange rates, subscriptions to the boxes cost $20.40 USD to ship to the U.S. and Canada, and $21.90 USD to ship internationally.
Nadrasky, who says she's always wanted to start a business, has been producing the boxes for almost one year. With the company growing in popularity within the chronic illness community, her hope for the future of her subscription service remains the same.
"There are always going to be good days and bad," Nadraszky writes on the Be Brave Box website. "I want Be Brave Box to be a good part of life because we just need more 'good' in our lives."
Topics Activism Health Social Good Self-Care
Katie Dupere was a Social Good reporter at Mashable from May 2015 to July 2017, covering activism, identities and social impact. Prior to her work with Mashable, Katie penned pieces about queerness, body positivity, sex and relationships for Gurl. She also previously contributed LGBTQ news coverage to PinkNews.
