When Escents Aromatherapy founder Jacqui MacNeill woke up in a hospital bed nine years ago, her last memory was of sitting at dinner table with her mom and husband two days before.
I experienced a massive grand mal seizure, she says, sitting on some steps at the Escents Aromatherapy 4th Avenue location. I didnt remember any of it. All I do remember is being at the dinner table with my mom and husband and I started to have this incredibly painful, dizzying, weird feeling.
After being rushed to the hospital, doctors discovered that MacNeill had experienced a major aneurysm, causing bleeding in her brain. And not only was MacNeills life at stake, but so were the lives of the twins she was carrying; they were scheduled to be delivered the next day.
The doctors delivered two healthy boys (who are now nine years old) and then conducted seven-and-a-half hours of surgery on MacNeill to repair the damage caused by the aneurysm.
(The doctor) came out and told my husband he didnt think it was going to be good, MacNeill says, shaking her head. He said the chances of me living were about five per cent and if I did live, Id probably be brain damaged I probably wouldnt be able to move my left side, maybe blind and may not be able to speak.
But after close to a decade of recovery (including another emergency operation three years ago), it is obvious that the doctors predictions were wrong. MacNeill tells her story with an eloquence and cadence that defies any of the health issues she has been describing during the last 10 minutes.
What defies this history even more is how, throughout it all, the mother of three boys continued to maintain and grow Escents Aromatherapy. Starting as a small cart at Lonsdale Quay Market 20 years ago, Escents Aromatherapy currently has nine BC locations with the 10th opening on Robson Street in October and 250 resellers of the products located across Canada. This is in addition to having 45 stores in Taiwan, a popular e-commerce store and products available to business-class fliers on Air Canada and Continental Airlines.
She started the successful chain of plant-based personal care products after a looking for moisturizing lotion while en route to the coast for windsurfing. MacNeill found a store in Portland that allowed her to customize the lotion, letting her choose the base cream and more importantly, letting her choose the fragrance from a wide selection of scents.
I thought it was the most unbelievable concept and I said to myself, Thats what Im going to do, says MacNeill, a graduate of business administration.
I still remember the scent, she adds with a smile. It was called Oak.
While on the road to recovery, MacNeill found that her company and her products were there to help her through some rocky times.
Like an artist who finds solace in painting, MacNeill found consolation in creating new scents and products, finding it a pleasant distraction from any of her health problems. Products like the headache scar and sleep treatment oils helped her recover physically from the surgeries and stitches.
I dont know what Id do without some of these products, she says. Theyre essential to me theyre part of my world. I appreciate and value them and thats why I started this company.
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Who says men wouldnt enjoy a little calming influence in their lives? Escents Aromatherapy has come out with a new mens line featuring the earthy and musky Balsam blend. Derived from 100 per cent essential oils of Frankincense and Patchouli, other active ingredients include white tea, which calms visible irritation, panthenol-provitamin B5, which hydrates the skin, tea tree, which fights bacteria and helps prevent breakouts, and sandalwood, phellodendron bark and barley extract, which soften and condition skin. Win the entire collection soap, scrub, lotion, face wash, valued at $65 on the Contests page at WEVancouver.com
