For local florist Renee Mason, Valentine's day is one of the busiest days of the year. At her store, The Petal Patch Flower Shop, she was finishing orders until two in the morning and returned to open her shop for Valentine's day just a few hours later.
She's been busy, but she says it's a good kind of busy compared to last year around the same time.
"We had to stop taking deliveries today because I had so many", she told Four In Your Corner. When Fox 4 stopped by Renee's shop, she was putting together bouquets for last minute Valentine's Day orders. But this time last year, she was in a completely different space.
Mason had just been let go from her job at another flower shop. She says she was told her treatment schedule was hurting their bottom line. At the time, she had a grueling chemotherapy schedule and was in the middle of battling breast cancer.
"My first thought was, 'oh my God! What am I gonna do? How am I gonna pay my bill? I'm going into treatment!'".
Thankfully, Mason had friends who were determined to see her get well and help water her budding talent.
One of Renee's friends, Dawn Fields, got together with Renee's boyfriend and helped raise the money for the shop while Renee was going through treatment.
"We knew it was her passion, and we knew we had a lot of friends", Fields told Four In Your Corner.
When Fox 4 stopped by The Petal Patch, Fields was behind the counter, helping with orders while Mason put together bouquets. Last year she was surprising Mason with the keys to the shop, now blooming with business.
Meanwhile Mason is thankful for the shop and the opportunity to use her passion to bring other people joy.
"Every day I come here I'm thankful."
