The Journey
My journey began in February 2015 when I began experiencing diminished hearing. I sought treatment at the U of M Medical Center and was treated with my first round of steroids for mild hearing loss. My hearing improved but only temporarily. Again, I was prescribed another round of steroids and then another. One morning I noticed that the hearing in my right ear had began rapidly diminishing and voices on my right began to sound roboted. Suddenly, the hearing in my right ear went completely silent. It was as if someone had flipped a switch.
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Being warned that this might happen, I gathered myself and convinced myself that it wasn’t the end of the world. I could manage with the hearing in my left ear, many have done it for years. I continued my oral steroid treatments for the left ear but because of their side effects I eventually had to transition to steroid injections in my ear which was safer but a more aggressive form of treatment. This was in an attempt to save the hearing in my left ear but, on June 27, 2015 my left ear went completely silent as well. I was deaf.
There was no medical explanation for it and the doctors told me that this happens to a very small percentage of people. It might possibly be something autoimmune but basically it was and still is medically unexplained. Having worked since Junior High School, I refused to entertain the idea of never working again and was determined to somehow overcome this life altering crisis!
I was no longer able to fulfill my administrative responsibilities at work and was forced to resign from my position; left contemplating where I would go from there. I had bills to pay and my short-term disability provided through my employer was about to expire. I shared my concerns with a friend, Kathy Southern who encouraged me to begin selling the carrot cake I was locally famous for to supplement my income until I started to receive disability assistance.I suppose I could. Afterall everyone seemed to love them. Thus, my journey began... What started out as a means to make a little money ignited a passion and gift I was not aware that I possessed. I was blessed with a gift to take seemingly ordinary foods and create extraordinary desserts!
I am grateful for the support of my sister and co-baker Carol Wicks, my children, several family members and friends. Today we are proud to boast we have over 30 items on our desert menu and our pop up shop are held on Thursdays and Saturdays at Bucharest Grill on Livernois (please contact us for additional details). Gratefully, we continue to see our clientele grow as we serve clients as far as Holland and Grand Rapids Michigan. We’ve also been featured on WDIV’s Tasty Tuesday segment which was well received!
(Note: Presently, during the Covid 19 pandemic we are only operating out of Bucharest Grill’s Livernois location on the Avenue of Fashion on Thursdays and Saturdays and from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm)