SHEPHERD — For as long as Kelsey Garon can remember, she has spent time in the kitchen baking.
Whether it was assisting her mom when she was a kid or rediscovering her passion in recent years as a stay-at-home mom, it's something that has always brought her comfort.
Watch video here:
"It brings a sort of peace to my soul," Garon said in her kitchen Wednesday morning. "I feel like I can tune out the outside world and whenever I'm baking, it's the only thing I have to focus on."
It's been a sweet escape for Garon, especially the past few years. Her 7-year-old son is nonverbal autistic and was having a hard time adjusting to life after entering public school last year.
"It was really, really hard on him and me," Garon said, as tears filled her eyes. "It was just a lot of stress."
Garon said that her son's condition quickly took over her entire family's life. Before she knew it, her entire day consisted of taking her son to therapy and appointments.
"As a mom, and a special needs mom, you kind of forget who you are," Garon said. "It's easy to lose your identity."
Amidst the chaos, Garon turned to something she was familiar with: baking.
"Every time I'd give someone something, they would be so happy," Garon said. "It brought some joy to my life."
Then Garon took it one step further. With the encouragement of her husband and her best friend, Garon created a Facebook page called Kelsey's Homemade Baked Goods, and began selling her goodies for what she called a fair price.
"It's nice to be able to find something for yourself," Garon said. "For so long, I just felt like a mom and a wife. This gave me something I had myself."
The cherry on top for Garon was that all of the money will go toward helping pay for her son's therapy bills, which she said are quite high and can reach up to nearly $1,000 a month.
"It won't do a whole lot, but it's nice to know I'm helping out a little bit," Garon said.
While her impact financially might be limited, the emotional relief she's feeling is not.
"It's nice to know that even as a special needs mom, you can still make your dream come true to some degree," Garon said. "Which might seem silly, it's just baking, but it's my own thing."
