Two-time breast cancer survivor from Ossining channels new passion & helps others through B Kirby Jewelry
Kirby has always had a love of jewelry, but it wasn't until her world was entirely shifted that she took up jewelry-making as a hobby.
More Stories
A two-time breast cancer survivor from Ossining is helping others after taking up a new hobby, leading her to opening her own shop, B Kirby Jewelry.
" I like working with my hands," said Barbara Kirby, the president of B Kirby Jewelry. "There's a beginning, a middle and an end...and you create something that no one else has created."
Kirby has always had a love of jewelry, but it wasn't until her world was entirely shifted that she took up jewelry-making as a hobby.
"I had breast cancer twice, and during that time, it was quite devastating," she explained. "After the second time, I had a long, long bout with chemotherapy because they had to try and do an immunotherapy. So, I was taking that for about two years. My business at that point had really suffered and we had to basically close the doors. I just didn't have it in me anymore. So, I needed something to convalesce; something that distracted me from what was going on. So, I started to do beading, and then it morphed into other kinds of jewelry, especially being a silversmith."
From there, Kirby honed her craft by taking classes with different types of teachers throughout the tri-state. Fifteen years later, she now shares her love of jewelry with others as one of those teachers.
"I teach workshops, and the feedback has been really, really positive," she said. "It's so fun to give back and teach other women how to do it... I'm very happy to be here and I really love making jewelry."
As she looks back at the past 15 years, Kirby says she's proud of how far she's come and has one message for those currently battling cancer.
"There's a light at the end of the tunnel," she said. "Try to distract yourself from what you're going through....it's not an easy journey, but...you can get out of it. You can move forward. You can be healed."
Kirby will have her jewelry on sale this Friday and Saturday at a trunk show at Images Gallery in Briarcliff Manor. It runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. A portion of all sales will go towards Support Connection, and the organization that helped her when she needed it most.
"I owned my own business [when I was first diagnosed], and during that time, I joined the Support Connection," Kirby explained. "[It's] an organization that supports women with breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It was very helpful during that time to have a place to go."
Kirby's Jewelry can also be bought online on her Etsy shop. For more information on taking a workshop with Kirby, visit B Kirby Jewelry's website.
