‘I started my own business from my Stirling home after being diagnosed with MS – it made me more determined than ever’

A Stirling mum says being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) made her “more determined than ever” and pushed her to turn her candle-making hobby into a business.

Karen Graham, 44, started The Stirling Candle Making Company with her husband Chris, 44, last January.

The firm sells luxury scented candles and wax melts, handmade in the couple’s studio in their back garden in their spare time.

Just six months prior the mum-of-two had been diagnosed with MS, and her “world changed overnight”.

The incurable condition affects the brain and spinal cord and it can cause fatigue, mobility issues and blurred vision.

Stirling mum with MS found light in candle-making

Karen previously worked a demanding job in the health sector and struggled with her mental health following her diagnosis, which left her family “devastated”.

She said: “The condition can be really disabling but every day is different so everything in my life now has to be planned out.

“Some days I wake up and my legs just won’t work, other days I’m extremely tired and it’s affected my balance a lot as well.

“It took a real toll on my mental health as well as that of my family.

“We did not know what the future looked like.”

Karen and Chris started making candles at home and soon decided to take their hobby to the next level with training from supplier Candle Shack.

Since then, their business has gone from strength to strength.

She added: “Candle-making gives me something to work towards and look forward to each day.

“The studio we created in our back garden is my happy place.

“It’s improved my mental wellbeing so much.

‘Having MS had made me more determined than ever’

“Considering the success while having this condition, I do feel incredibly proud and almost want to pinch myself.

“Had you told me I’d be doing this a couple of years ago I would never have believed you – the success we’ve had is unbelievable too.

“Having MS has made me more determined than ever.

“I’m not going to let it beat me and hopefully others see that, when you get a diagnosis like MS, your life has not ended.”

Cheryl Maclean, who runs the Candle Shack with her husband Duncan, added: “Karen and Chris have built an amazing business in a very short space of time, and it’s amazing to see something so positive and purposeful emerge from such a difficult situation.”