Twenty years ago, Hong Kong mother Emily Lau immigrated to Miami, USA. She had a fulfilling family life, raising three sons. Emily had worked as a flight attendant, a teacher, and had also run a swimming pool business. However, after experiencing a nightmare in her life, she began to prioritize her loved ones and her own health. With the assistance of her South African friend Russell, she recently founded the South African Rooibos tea brand, aiming to bring health to those around her. What did she go through behind the scenes of starting her business?
In the midst of Emily’s prosperous family and business life, she unexpectedly discovered that she had cancer. The process was quite unusual, as it was her sister who received a warning in a dream. In August 2016, Emily’s sister nervously approached her, urging her to undergo a medical check-up. Her sister had a foreboding feeling in her dream, worried that something might happen to her sister’s health. Initially, Emily didn’t take it too seriously, but she still went for a check-up, somewhat skeptical.
Initially, all the full-body checks showed nothing wrong. It wasn’t until November that the doctor suddenly informed her that she had breast cancer from the final check. With a history of this disease in her family, she was at a higher risk. Fortunately, the cancer was detected early, allowing for treatment.
After undergoing six surgeries, Emily’s health improved somewhat, but the cancer cells had not completely disappeared and could come back at any time. She continued to adjust her dietary habits, seeking ways to maintain her health.
She shared, “Firstly, having cancer makes you realize that you are not flawless. One’s health is the most important thing; no matter how much money you earn, it’s useless. So, I pay a lot of attention to my own diet and my family’s diet.”
Emily recounted her journey of using dietary therapy to fight cancer. The first step was to eat less fried food and avoid sweets. She said, “Because I found that sweets help my cancer cells grow faster, although I love sweets, I try to avoid them as much as possible now, and I tell my family not to eat too many sweets either.” She used to enjoy sugar, chocolate, and cookies, but she now abstains from them.
Furthermore, as breast cancer is related to estrogen, foods containing hormones should be consumed cautiously. A Chinese medicine practitioner warned her that eggs and chicken meat contain a large amount of hormones, leading her to mostly give up meat and focus on seafood, fish, and shrimp, with a primarily vegetarian diet.
Emily found that after she began to pay attention to changing her dietary habits, she felt much fresher physically, and her skin improved. The diagnosis of cancer was a sudden blow to Emily, causing her to rethink the meaning of life. Subsequently, her life and entrepreneurship were closely linked to health due to her personal experiences.
Most people don’t drink tea before bed, but there is a type of tea that can aid in sleep. The stronger it is brewed, the better it can help one sleep, prevent cancer, protect the heart, and lower cholesterol. This tea, Rooibos, grows only on the mountains of South Africa and is considered a gift from God to South Africa, alongside diamonds and gold, as one of the country’s three national treasures.
“Diet therapy” became an important way for Emily to seek health. Through a program, she learned that Rooibos tea from South Africa is caffeine-free, can prevent blood vessel blockage, acting as a cleaner for blood vessels. Despite its crucial health benefits, not many people are aware of this tea, and there are few suppliers in the market. Coincidentally, her good friend Russell is South African, so she sought his advice, found local suppliers in South Africa, and established the brand E&R, hoping to promote this tea leaf and bring health to more people.
Emily said, “I found that Asians are very concerned about health. They know that green tea has high antioxidant function, which can prevent cancer. It has become very common for many people to drink green tea, but I think they don’t know the importance of South African tea with such significant health benefits, so I want to promote it to everyone.”
“For the health of blood vessels, nutrients can reach the blood vessels without loss along the way, thus preventing brain degeneration. When micro blood vessels in the brain die, more and more brain cells or bones no longer receive nutrients, so those cells will die, resulting in brain degeneration, osteoporosis, and strokes.”
She cited an example that her mother began to experience brain degeneration and osteoporosis, prompting her to pay even more attention to health foods. After learning about the benefits of South African tea, she hoped to share this tea with more people.
The warning signs from her body made Emily cherish every moment of her life more and led to a change in her attitude towards life.
In Florida, almost every house has a swimming pool, and many families need maintenance work. Emily took over the business from a retired boss, acquired relevant licenses, and learned to run a pool maintenance business. She said, “From over 200 accounts when I took over to more than 600 accounts after 8 years of hard work, but when I found out I had cancer, underwent six surgeries, and had to tend to my business in between, I thought, is it worth it to work so hard when the wound hasn’t healed yet and to juggle work. I thought it was time to sell. I thought if I can’t pass this hurdle, I’d rather spend more time with my family.”
She shared, “For example, before having cancer, I was a very responsible person at work, often having to do a good job before I could sleep, really working hard. After finding out about the cancer, I felt that having enough money is sufficient as money can never be earned endlessly. Spending more time with family is the most important thing.”
The Production Team of “Drifting Legend”