Party Profile: Candy Carberry, New York
By Jennie Camp Hudgins
Candace Carberry is an ovarian cancer survivor. She credits the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry and Dr. Steven Piver with saving her life. Known to friends as Candy, she will forever be remembered by us as Blue Hydrangea Tea Party’s first registered hostess. Candy put her whole heart into becoming an ovarian cancer “activist” after her experience with the disease and made a pledge to herself to raise $1000 each year for the Registry. Blue Hydrangea Tea Party provides a lovely way for her to accomplish her goal each year!
On May 13, 2006 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Candy’s house was filled with blue hydrangeas as her friends joined her for this special tea party at her New York home. She enlisted the help of her mother, her sister, her cousin, and her daughter-in-law …generations of women coming together for the cause of other women! The party was especially meaningful to this family, because Candy’s cousin was fighting this same disease. The party was the perfect opportunity to honor her fight and provide literature about ovarian cancer and its signs and symptoms. Each guest received an ovarian cancer awareness pin, as well. Candy took the opportunity to honor those people she felt had so mightily impacted the fight against ovarian cancer – the late actress, Gilda Radner and Dr. Steven Piver, who founded the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry 25 years ago, with Gilda’s husband, actor, Gene Wilder. She placed photos of them at the donation table, along with one of her cousin, who provided door prizes for the tea party.
Her daughter-in-law’s handmade blue hydrangea invitations brought 28 guests to her beautiful table. There her guests found antique dishes and her mother’s tea cups in varying patterns. Candy served tea sandwiches, homemade cookies, fruit and chocolate, and tea, of course! Lucky guests where treated to door prizes of blue hydrangea candles, picture frames, and stationary. And, everyone received a unique understanding of ovarian cancer….a cautionary tale from the mouth of a survivor. Candy’s party was a success and she met her personal goal of $1000. The Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry received the donation in honor of Candy’s cousin, Nancy. Following the party, she wrote thank you notes to her guests on blue hydrangea stationary, giving her party a personal touch from beginning to end.
“This was a wonderful experience,” Candy wrote. So wonderful, in fact, that she’s doing it again this year! On May 12, 2007, she says that she plans to follow the same party plan with an even bigger crowd and a few additions to the theme. She made a photo album from last year’s party, so she will have that available for her guests to enjoy. A friend has an idea for pastry treats in the shape of awareness ribbons, with teal frosting. And, she is also looking into ordering teal colored M&Ms! “The door prizes were a huge hit,” Candy explained. So, she and her sister have been out and about scouting for “hydrangea gifts.” This sounds like an excellent way to add excitement to a tea party!
Candy is passionate about ovarian cancer awareness with good reason. Most of us get passionate about something when our experience with it has affected us personally. I hope that every woman who hears about Blue Hydrangea Tea Party will respond the same way Candy has…with passion. Don’t disregard this disease and the opportunity to become active in the fight against it, because you don’t really feel passionate about it. So, maybe you don’t know anyone who is fighting ovarian cancer…..or has died from it…..A mere 5 years ago, I didn’t either.