04/12/2022
HURTS DONUT MIDDLETON CLOSURE INFORMATION.
Middleton Hurts was one of our favorite success stories. We boasted Janelle’s amazing story, fighting and beating cancer before her family purchased the store.
Facebook announcement prior to opening on June 26, 2020:
DONUTS PACKED WITH MEANING! Like, so much meaning... because who doesn’t love a good inspirational story!!
In 2017, Janelle Wilks emailed us about her dream of opening a Hurts Donut, but shortly after, was diagnosed with breast cancer. As the cancer loomed, donut dreams went adrift.
Janelle’s positivity through her diagnoses brings me to tears. She says the love & support she received through, what some would have called a defeat, far outweighed the diagnosis.
Naturally, when someone tells you about such a misfortune, you wrap your arms around them & hold on tight waiting for what you believe will be a sad story.
Not Janelle’s... instead she describes an ARMY of people surrounding her & lifting her up through treatment & beyond.
She doesn’t cry when she talks about shaving her head. Instead, her smile beams while she remembers the friends who cleaned her house, prayed for her & so unselfishly encircled her with love, during her most difficult time.
She doesn’t complain about the drive to the Mayo Clinic or the chemo, & surgeries. Her eyes light up while she recounts the community that was by her side the whole time.
After 16 rounds of chemo, a double mastectomy, & reconstructive surgery, Janelle & her family found themselves dreaming again, about opening their own Hurts Donut!!
It may not have been a straight line to opening their dream store, but only a temporary setback on a bigger, more significant course.
The Wilks hope to cement the Hurts Donut name & love for giving back to others in need, into the community.
Janelle hopes her story inspires & encourages someone to be their best self. It doesn’t matter where you start from or if something slows you down; what matters is that you never lose sight of the destination. It is the only way to ensure you arrive!
Update 2022
We are sad to say that Janelle took a fall inside of one of her Hurts Donut locations. After her shoulder pain from the fall did not subside, she went to the doctor. There, she was very unexpectedly and abruptly admitted to the hospital after they found that the shoulder pain was devastatingly stage four cancer. Spreading from her shoulder, to her spine, brain and hips. She's obviously and visibly in a lot of pain physically. All of us who love her, share that pain in our hearts. It has been a challenge to remain staffed while the leadership is away during this very difficult time. The word cancer, which she had bravely defeated once has come back, but it will not stop her from relishing all the happy time she has left with her family. Janelle is a prayer soaked, grace-filled blueprint for how to live and love. It was a tough decision but the Middleton Wisconsin store will be permanently close so the owners can prioritize their health and family.
It has been a privilege to serve this community .
