About The Butterfly

This video shows my son's journey

Butterfly Warriors was created as a way for a very grateful mom (that would be me) to give back to those fighting cancer.  Why am I giving back?  Because my son is still with me and I know that I am truly blessed to be in this position.  Rather than put it all behind me (as best as can be done with all the 'late effects' I have to keep a watchful eye on...) I decided to be active in fighting to raise awareness and funds to kick cancer's ass.

While this blog is not about my son, I do want to give you some background about us and where my passion for crafting beautiful jewelry came from.

My son, Button, was diagnosed in September, 2009 with T. Cell ALL, more commonly known as leukemia. He was listed as high risk and we were told he only had days left to live.  Miracles happened and two and a half years of grueling chemo and radiation worked.  My son was in remission and off treatment.  We were a family with a great deal to be thankful for.

As time went by, I realized we were back to normal as far as our outward appearance as a family went.  We were, in fact a mess: PTSD, physical disabilities, financial stress, and fear of the future loomed over us.  BUT...our son kept getting stronger, our fears kept getting less prominent in our life, our finances began to straighten themselves out, and we moved on....

Part of my stress relief happened to be making jewelry.  I use the term loosely as my work was less than stellar.  It was pretty shoddy to be honest...but I loved it and I felt good about myself.  The kids joined in and we created amazing bracelets that only a mother would love.

Over time, my skills became better and I noticed I had an eye for creating jewelry people actually liked.  People even asked me to make items for them...they even paid me for it!!!!

I then hatched the idea of selling pieces to raise money for the Light The Night Walk we participate in each year.

Eventually I was persuaded to use a long ignored Etsy shop to start selling my wares.  Reluctant at first, I gained confidence when a local group of ladies almost wiped out my entire stock buying gifts for teachers and friends for Christmas.  That was my final boost and my confidence grew enough to make this thing official.  People loved my work and were very happy to, not only buy it, but give it as gifts too!!!

And so Butterfly Warriors Jewelry was born.