We recently ran across an Instagram page called blue.salt.abaco. We’ve been big fans of the islands of Abacos, Bahamas since we first visited in 2013 so this name intrigued us enough to read the profile information which said, “Mia & Lisa. Selling bracelets to help rebuild Guana & the Abacos. All proceeds will go to Great Guana Cay Foundation.” The page showed several photos of charming handmade beaded bracelets and we reached out to them to find out more. Lisa got back to me immediately with more information about their bracelets, the cause they are donating the proceeds to, and the story of their personal connection to the Abacos.
This is their story. Our family lived in the Abacos for 3 years on the tiny islet of Great Guana Cay. We loved the simple life even though it meant sending my young kids in a mostly open ferry boat across the sea of Abaco to school everyday. We eventually adapted and became comfortable with all the amazing and challenging ways of island living.
Excited for the new school year, on August 30, 2019, we attended the kids’ school orientation in Marsh Harbour and then flew out 2 days before Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Abacos. We booked round trip tickets to NYC as we had grown somewhat used to the hurricane threats of the late summer season. We only took backpacks and 2 carry-on suitcases with us because at that point it was predicted to be a category 1 hurricane. Our group of expat friends jokingly called these evacuation trips “hurrications” when the company would make us leave “just in case”. We never imagined a direct hit by a a category 5 hurricane.
As we watched the storm take a different path than predicted, we felt a physical heaviness bear down on us as it grew closer and closer to home. The anticipation of waiting to hear from our friends and neighbors seemed to last months – not a couple of days. They were riding out the worst storm in the history of the Bahamas that claimed the lives of hundreds, even though the official reported numbers are much lower than that.
After the storm, our house was one of the few houses still standing that wasn’t a complete loss, even though it suffered serious water damage from the roof breaching. The very first year we arrived in Guana, we bought a tiny little bungalow that we were fixing up and in the process of trying to add on to. (*we were asked to record an episode of Caribbean Life back in 2018. The day it ended filming we all decided that none of us were born to be in front of a camera. Haha.)
Mia’s dad went back with his work on a float plane, about a week later. He had never imagined seeing destruction on such an apocalyptic scale in real life.
I returned to Guana six weeks after the storm to salvage what I could from our house, help out a little in the community and say a proper goodbye to what had become our home. The kids had their world torn away and lost most of their material possessions. Unlike their friends who endured extreme trauma and fought for their lives, they were living safely with grandparents but were also feeling emotionally displaced and homeless.
Over the last 11 months our life has been one rollercoaster after the next, but it did not compare to what the Bahamians of the Abacos were going through. To this day they still do not have power, some homes are being repaired but some are completely gone – either washed out to sea or a tile floor sitting on top of a cistern next to a pile of rubble. Incredibly generous volunteers, NGO groups and aid came pouring in, but when COVID hit the groups were having to leave and the focus has shifted to the pandemic and other world issues.
Our family had moved on to a new job and state just a month before quarantine. We might be bored like the rest of the country, but Guana and the people are always on our minds. We always reminisce about the turquoise water, empty beaches, perfect boat days and the paradisaical beauty.
While we picture Guana the way it used to be, we hear from friends there every so often. They are trying to get by when the world is shut down. They are a tourism dependent community like most islands. Some are camping out in their roofless homes or sitting under a generator powered fan to at least keep the hot summer air moving around.
The kids talk about when the world will go back to normal now that they learned school will be virtual this fall. Everytime we feel sorry for ourselves we think of the people of Abaco and Grand Bahamas and how they might feel like we have forgotten them. My daughter and I decided to make the most out of our ridiculous amount of free time and started making bracelets. We wanted to see if we could raise a little money for our island, sending 100% of the proceeds to the Great Guana Cay Foundation. We know the people on the committee and many of the leading members are longtime, if not generational locals. We figured that even if we made a few hundred dollars it still would help someone, whether it was food or supplies. In less than 1 day we had orders for 50 bracelets and now it is 1 week and we have sold over $1200 in bracelets!
My daughter and I run the Instagram account and take turns responding to requests. Mia is making almost all of the bracelets and is the heart of the project. We absolutely love hearing everyone’s connection to the Abacos and especially Guana Cay, whether they have a house there and have been vacationing there since they were kids or a more recent visitor who fell in love with this little piece of paradise. We love everything that reminds us of the Bahamas, and we felt like everyone with a connection might love a little bracelet that reminds them of their time there too.
They can all be personalized to say another place or name if they don’t have a tie to the Abacos but we have been surprised by the ones who order Abacos or Guana Cay. People have been so generous and thrilled that their money is going to help the people recover. The world seems so chaotic right now we just needed something positive to focus our attention on and a goal to work towards.
If you’d like to place an order to help the people of Guana Cay and the Abacos, you can contact Lisa and Mia through their Instagram, Facebook or their brand new Etsy Store. Lisa is also selling prints of some of the photos she has taken on Guana Cay with proceeds also going to the Great Guana Cay Foundation. These would make super holiday gifts for your island loving friends!
Thank you Lisa and Mia for sharing your story with us! We really appreciate your giving spirit!
All photos courtesy of Blue Salt Abacos
Many locally owned businesses in the islands are being hit hard right now due to restricted tourist traffic during the pandemic. Hoping to help in any way we can, we are highlighting some great local businesses that we hope you will enjoy learning about and may want to visit once we are able to travel to the beautiful islands once again. We also want to highlight individuals or businesses that are doing something to assist islanders impacted by hurricanes or the pandemic. Some of these businesses also offer merchandise that you can order, gift certificates and pre-booking options. Be sure to contact them for additional info and watch for more articles soon!
BVI SNUBA, Virgin Gorda
Ocean Spa, BVI
Top of the Baths, Virgin Gorda
Jost Van Dyke Scuba
Daniel Johnson’s Monkey and Sloth Hangout, Roatán, Honduras
Gumption’s Learning Adventures, Virgin Gorda
Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC
All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
