Wyckoff Cancer Survivor, Dad Shutting Down Bracelet Business

WYCKOFF, NJ — A business started by township father and daughter cancer survivors is shutting down after nearly two years.

Rebecca Salmins and her father, Gerard, started Knots & Arrows in 2016 after she finished nearly 800 days of chemotherapy treatments and had surgery to remove a tumor in her neck.

The business donated 10 percent of every sale to a childhood cancer charity and 10 percent to a family of a child who was diagnosed with cancer. (See related: Wyckoff Cancer Survivor, 9, Father Launch Bracelet Business To Help Others)

"Thank you for helping me put an end to childhood cancer, one bracelet at a time. Your support during this journey has meant the world to us," Salmins said in a letter to customers and supporters. "I am looking forward to being a happy and healthy kid. I'm not done moving mountains, I am just getting started."

The name comes from two inspirational quotes that encouraged Salmins and her family as they battled through the life-changing diagnosis.

"When you've reached the end of your rope, tie and knot and hang on," Salmins' mother, Sherry previously said. "And an arrow can only be shot by dragging it backwards. So, when life seems to be dragging you back, it's getting ready to launch you into something great."

Salmins raised $23,000 for Hackensack University Medical Center's Tackle Kids Cancer initiative. Hundreds of people, including the Wyckoff Police Department, donated money to the effort. The family also donated $7,000 to the philanthropic program, which benefits the Children's Cancer Institute at HUMC.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is very involved with it and has formed a friendship with Salmins. He received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his work with the organization. (See related: Eli Manning's Work With Pediatric Bergen Cancer Patients Gets Him NFL Man Of The Year Award)

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Rebecca Salmins and her dad, Gerhard/Courtesy of Knots & Arrows