Her mother, a cancer survivor herself, knew Castle had to see a doctor as soon as possible.
That doctor, Castle recalled, looked at her and said, “You either have nothing at all, or Hodgkin’s lymphoma.” Castle would find out after a month of testing that it was actually that type of cancer.
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“It was devastating. I’ve always been a very optimistic, happy person, and I really now know what it feels like to hit rock bottom,” she recalled.
Over the next few months, Castle said she was completing chemotherapy treatments and feeling low.
Castle said she hustled while trying to get her products into any possible retailer. (Michael Bezjian/WireImage / Getty Images)
After feeling lost about how to feel better, Castle said she started meditating, exercising and trying to keep her body as strong as possible.
“I [also] had this deep instinct to study food. I wanted to give myself as much energy as possible to fight this thing and to get healthy,” she said.
Though studying nutrition and taking cooking classes, Castle realized she could make healthy foods taste delicious if she used the right ingredients.
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“But I have a sweet tooth, and I don’t want to feel like I’m on a diet for the rest of my life,” she said.
“It was devastating. I’ve always been a very optimistic, happy person.”
“I think on the outside, people look at allergen-free like it’s a niche — it’s not a niche anymore,” she said.
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“Celiac is maybe 1% of the population, but a quarter of the population is actually staying away from gluten [by choice].”
Fox News Digital talked to the founder and CEO of Sweet Loren’s about her success story and how she began her cookie dough brand. (Sweet Loren’s / Fox News)
Sweet Loren’s also offers breakfast biscuits with the same allergen-free nutritional facts and will begin offering pizza dough and puff pastries in the coming months.
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Castle said if she could give three pieces of advice to young entrepreneurs, she’d recommend getting “smart, trustworthy mentors around you,” having a great team to support your business — and keeping up with personal self-care.
“I’ve been doing this [for] 10 years, and the reason I’m not burned out is because I’m so passionate about this,” she said. It’s “my life’s mission.”
