After seventeen years of working as a nurse, lupus has changed my life so I am turning to my other passion of crafting products that bring joy to others.
Hello all! My name is Rachel. I am 43 years old with 3 rambunctious boys aged 21, 16, and 14. I am a registered nurse and have been for 20 years. I have always been a creative person and love making things, especially things for other people that I know will make them happy. I haven’t had much time in my life to do much of that however!
Over the last 7-8 years I have gone through a lot of life changing events. I went through a divorce after 12 years of marriage, several job changes, and learning how to start over as a single working mother. Then in 2013 my ex husband had a motorcycle accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. This greatly impacted my children in every way. I suddenly truly became a single mom. Along with working full time as a hospice nurse and managing a household, I greatly overextended myself.
In 2015 I met the most amazing man who I ended up marrying in December of 2016. Shortly after we purchased a new home and started our new family. Then everything changed. The beginning of 2017 brought me more challenges. I began suffering from some health issues and eventually was diagnosed with lupus. I’ve had to quit working and file for disability and it’s a struggle. I have started infusions to suppress my immune system with hopes of symptom relief and the ability to return to my life. Physically I am now unable to do a lot of things. We bought a house planning on my income and our dream life to start. I’m now making significantly less than we ever imagined.
Then in June of 2018, my oldest son was involved in a car accident when another driver crossed over the center line of the road and hit him head on. He suffered from fractures of his tibia, fibula, and two mid-foot fractures along with a concussion. He had surgery to place a nail in his tibia just a few hours after the accident. Three months later his leg got infected and they had to remove the nail. He came home from the hospital on 6 weeks of IV antibiotics. This is how he started out his senior year of high school. In March of 2019 he had a third surgery to put another nail in his tibia because it wasn't healing on its own. He graduated high school in May and actually was able to walk across the stage with no crutches or walking boot! So very thankful and blessed.
As my lupus progresses I have found myself unable to do much that involves getting out of bed most days, so I have turned back to my creative passion. I have recently had to quit my job due to my symptoms and my health. I love making wreaths and other crafts and I am still physically able to do it at this point.
This gives me some purpose and makes me feel a little useful. And if I can bring a smile to someone’s face with something I create it gives me hope that I can have some enjoyment and provide a little help with our finances as we have lost so much to lupus. I hope you enjoy and know there is love in every product I create. I take requests also, if there is a wreath or decorative craft you like, send me a picture and I’ll make it!!
