COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A cancer diagnosis shook the Rollins’ family in 2006, but they had no idea their mother’s suffering would have a silver lining that would benefit so many people.
“I found my lump in Dec. 2006,” Jeannine Rollins said. It was stage 2 breast cancer.
Rollins had a mammogram just two months prior. A double mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy followed, which took a toll on her.
“Even to this day I still remember how hard it was. It’s not easy to describe,” Rollins said.
She couldn’t sleep or eat. She lost about 20 pounds.
“I just couldn’t get anything down, including liquids. I was very dehydrated,” she said.
“We were just like, is there anything we can do,”? Trey Rollins asked.
Her husband Trey, an anesthesiologist, wanted desperately to help his wife.
“She just internalized so much of it and didn’t want to let us know how bad she was really feeling, but you could tell, she was miserable,” he said.
Her nausea was unbearable and seeing her suffer sparked an idea.
“My oldest daughter came up to me and said, ‘Dad, why don’t you come up with a drinkable IV?” Trey Rollins said.
It took some time, but he did. And now Biolyte helps countless others.
Piedmont Atlanta’s Cancer Wellness Center dietician Shayna Komar said hydration is key to reducing side effects. She gets creative with Biolyte to benefit patients.
“Let’s put it in a smoothie or let’s just sip on it while you’re in treatment, or when you get home from treatment, let’s put a little bit of it into your soup,” Komar said.
These days, Rollins’ youngest daughter Jesslyn runs the business. That started with her pitching the product and delivering it from the trunk of her SUV.
“I would lay there in the morning and be like, ‘you have to do this. For Debbie Felker. You have to do this for Susan Smith,’ Jessyln Rollins said.
“If I can do something to alleviate a person’s chemo treatment or radiation treatment and make them feel better, then our family is all for it,” Jeannine Rollins said.
The bottles go pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a portion of sales that month go to the American Cancer Society.
Last year’s donation was $11,000. This year it was nearly $70,000!
Biolyte donates its product to cancer nutrition programs through hospitals and will send a pack to anyone who requests it in their road to cancer recovery.