The Story of Whitnee's Wish

August 3, 2000

That day changed my life forever. The week prior, my husband and I had been on a cruise. We came home to a very sick daughter, Whitnee. I just didn't know how to help her. I took her into the Doctor's office 4 times in 3 days! Unfortunately, our regular pediatrician was out of town, so we kept being bumped to whoever was available. That's when she was diagnosed with Diabetes. It was time to get educated.

March 18, 2003

This was another hard day. I was blowing up balloons when my eyes started to itch and tear. Within hours my eyes and face were swollen. I literally looked as if i had gone "10 rounds"! The next day I went to the allergist. My appearance wasn't changing. That's when the Doctor told me that I had a severe latex reaction. And that it was important for me to carry an Epi-pen and wear a medical I.D. I looked at the identification brochure but everything was way too conventional and utilitarian. There wasn't anything that I could find that fit into my jewelry wardrobe. Knowing that I needed to be a good example (to Whitnee) the wheels started to spin!

February 10, 2005

That was another life changing day. That was Day 4 of waiting to hear back from my surgeon following a routine lumpectomy. I wasn't even going to have surgery. Neither one of us felt that there was any reason to remove the lump. I was 37 years old and had no family history, and worked out all the time. That was the day that I was told I had breast cancer. That rocked my world! So, I decided to dedicate 2006 to a year of "healing." I had planned to spend a lot of my "down-time" beading. A small wonder, when you consider the word "bead" derives from the ancient Celtic word "beda" meaning prayer. My goals were to create beautiful jewelry for Whitnee and myself. I began sketching medical and cancer awareness jewelry.

Since Whitnee's diagnosis, the Herrling Family has raised over $25,000 for Diabetes Research. A percentage of all medical jewelry sales will go directly to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. We will contribute at least 10% of all earnings before taxes. This is a larger percentage of dollars being donated than many Fortune 500 companies donate.

We will contribute that same amount on our breast cancer awareness jewelry. A portion of the proceeds will be donated for cancer research and awareness. This is a beautiful way for you to show your support! We have decided to do more than just "hope" for a cure. We are forever grateful to all who support us now and in the future. Together, we will be known as the people who cured both Diabetes and Breast Cancer.

We truly believe that whatever we give back to the community, that we and they will reap the rewards. Although this amount is only in the thousands of dollars, hopefully some day with continued support from customers like you, this business will grow, and therefore so will the contributions.

Sincerely Yours,

 

Kim Herrling
Founder/Survivor