Seattle Times staff reporter
During the hardest time in Candice Kriel’s life, going through chemotherapy for stage 3 breast cancer in 2020 after a double mastectomy, she received a package of gifts that provided her a big boost and changed the course of her life.
“I got so happy and excited opening it up that I felt like a child on Christmas Day,” said Kriel, whose husband, Dan, has played the past four seasons as a center on the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby. “I got flowers, chocolates and a coloring book and I thought, ‘If I’m feeling so happy and excited, imagine what a child would feel like.’ I wanted to bring some joy to children while they were going through a tough time.”
So the next day, the Kriels, who were living in their native South Africa, started Happy Bundles, a nonprofit that provides baskets of gifts for children battling cancer.
“I think our first bundle that we sent was $50 and we didn’t even have $50 in the Happy Bundles account,” said Candice, whose cancer has been in remission for about five years.
The work continued when the Kriels moved to the Seattle area in 2022. They said they have given nearly 500 bundles and they hope that number can rapidly grow.
Said Candice Kriel: “I know in 10 years time, we’re going to look back and be like, ‘Wow, remember how hard we worked, just the two of us, on this little nonprofit. And look at it now, we’re able to send bundles all around the world, and have our own wrapping paper that we’re selling in stores and things like that.'”
The key to growing is raising money and to help with that, the Kriels are putting on a gala — the organization’s first — Sept. 13 at the Washington Athletic Club. Tickets and more information can be found at happybundles.org.
“I would like 150 people to come, and I would love to raise over $100,000, which would be big for us,” Candice Kriel said. “It’s our first one and we’re learning as we go. Hopefully we can raise enough funds that we can grow and send as many bundles out as possible.”
After going through a life-changing event when Candice got cancer, they went through another when Dan, who had never played outside of South Africa, decided to move abroad.
Dan said he was weighing possibly going to Italy and Japan, but then “I reached out to friends that had come out to the States a couple years before.”
“Within two weeks, we had signed a contract (with the Seawolves),” Kriel said.
Kriel was honored for playing in his 50th match for the Seawolves early last season and said he hopes to make it to 100 with the team.
In 2023, Kriel received Major League Rugby’s community impact award, receiving a trophy and a $10,000 donation to Happy Bundles.
“That was pretty special,” Dan said. “That was one of the biggest donations we’ve ever gotten toward Happy Bundles.”
Dan and Candice said it’s special to have a mission they can work on together.
“We’ve been married almost 10 years and together for 16 and it’s always been teamwork,” Dan said. “The cliché is teamwork makes the dream work, but it really does. The more hands on deck, makes heavy loads easier. So it’s just special, the two of us trying to give the best example to our kids.”
Dan and Candice get help with Happy Bundles from Summer, their 8-year-old daughter and Cruz, their 6-year-old son.
“Summer loves it; she loves packing the bundles and wrapping the gifts,” Dan said. “We get them to paint the boxes. It’s a full-on family thing.”
Their children also help with picking toys for the children, whom the Kriels learn about before making the bundles.
“We will put as many toys as we can into them,” Candice said. “We will have coloring in things in there, Play-Doh, Barbie dolls, Legos and things like that.”
The Kriels say they get connected with the children mostly through Facebook and Instagram. They have continued to stay in contact with many of the families and the feedback they get about the bundles inspires the Kriels to want to reach even more children.
“When you get thank you messages, and photos and the videos, it makes you want to work even harder,” Candice said. “The harsh reality of it is that with childhood cancer, a lot of them do pass away. We’ve had a lot of children (who received bundles) who have passed away, and I think that motivates us even more, because we know for a moment, we gave them some joy.”
For Candice, starting Happy Bundles took her mind off her battle with cancer when she was going through the hard times. It remains her focus now.
“It’s the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of when I go to bed,” she said.
It has also changed how she feels about going through cancer.
“I really believe that I got cancer for a reason,” Candice said. “I remember at the time, sitting around a fire at 2 o’clock in the morning being so angry at the world and so angry at God. ‘Why did I get this? I’m a good person. I don’t do anything bad. Why did I get punished with this?’
“Now I look at it definitely as a blessing. I’m so glad that cancer chose me, because otherwise we wouldn’t be doing this amazing work.”
Scott Hanson: shanson@seattletimes.com.
