Help Colleen at Bud & Blooms Survive & Heal Loss

Update to the goal: Wow, I’m so blown away by the support Colleen has received so far. I set a goal hoping to buy her a month or so to figure things out. However, I increased the goal because if we can help support her next 3-6 months, that will be invaluable as she navigates the tough spring and summer season without her dad in the fields for 40+ hours a week.

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My name is Adria and I’m hosting a fundraiser for my best friend, Colleen Gilmore, who is the owner of Bud and Blooms - a sustainably grown flower farm and floral design company based in West Milford and Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.

Colleen unexpectedly lost her dad, Kevin Gilmore, on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at the age of 69. In early November 2021, Colleen’s dad was diagnosed with stage I oropharyngeal cancer after a mass was found in his throat. His prognosis had been very positive that the cancer would likely be curable with seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, but with only four radiation treatments left to go, her dad was admitted to the hospital on Monday, January 10, 2022. Due to complications from treatment, he had developed pneumonia and pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs caused by chemo and radiation. After five days on antibiotics and high-flow oxygen, he was admitted to the ICU and put on a ventilator. After a few more days his lungs still weren’t recovering which led to other complications and Colleen and her mom had to make the difficult decision to let him go peacefully. It happened so fast and was so unexpected. Those close to Colleen and her parents are still in shock. Colleen’s dad passed away just one week before his 70th birthday and less than nine months before he couldn’t wait to walk Colleen down the aisle at her and her fiancé Chris’ wedding.

 

Colleen hasn’t just lost her dad. 2022 marks her fifth year in business as Bud and Blooms and her dad was instrumental in helping her build and operate her business on a daily basis over the last five years. He was her full-time employee and beyond. Not only is Colleen navigating how she will live without her dad who she had such a special relationship with, she is also truly at a loss as to how she will continue and manage Bud and Blooms without him.

 

I am asking for donations to help support Colleen while she takes the time she needs to navigate her grief and to help her sustain her business while she figures out what the season ahead and beyond will look like without her dad.

 

Colleen has often told me her dad is one of the main reasons Bud and Blooms is here today. Farming certainly isn’t a get rich quick scheme but Colleen and her dad were partners. Most people do this alone starting out and Colleen and I would often talk about how lonely entrepreneurship can be. She was lucky to never have to fully experience that loneliness because she had her dad. Now that he’s gone, she’s not only navigating how to survive without him, she’s lost her professional support system and most trusted colleague.

 

Colleen halted work during the holiday hustle in December to be available for her dad as was going through daily treatment and she has shared that she doesn’t feel physically or mentally prepared to take on Valentine’s Day, two very important revenue streams that help Colleen get through the winter months when the farm isn’t in bloom. Just surviving without your dad is unbearable. Losing the essentially free labor holding up your business and having your financial life fall out from under you at the same time is unfathomable.

 

People who know Colleen know she hates being vulnerable. I know she’d never ask people for the money she needs to create a financial runway as she grieves and plots her next move. She told me when her dad was in the hospital that she doesn’t know if she can continue with the farm without her dad, but I know she can. I also know her dad would be pissed as hell if she shut up shop after he came out of retirement to help her and learned to like clogs. That’s why I’m starting this fundraiser, to give her the option to take her time as she navigates her loss and to help relieve some of the financial stress of taking that time she needs.

 

Considering how I’ve known Colleen and her dad since I was 14, watching their relationship grow over the years inspired me to repair the relationship with my own father. I see so much of Mr. Gilmore’s work ethic and resilience in Colleen. I have rooted for her from the West Coast and watched in awe as she grew something from nothing over recent years with her dad by her side. He will be deeply missed and I hope you will join me in supporting Colleen during this unbelievably difficult time.

 

If you would like to, you can read more about Colleen’s dad in his obituary here.