The Birth of Rumparooz

Looking back at the day I made Autumn's first diaper, I never imagined this is where we would be today. This just wasn't the plan. The Rumparooz didn't even have a name, they were just a solution to our personal needs. After the diapers started getting attention from other interested moms, the first person I turned to was my mom. Since I was 5 years old she has been my mentor in all things fabric and stitching. She was an amazing seamstress. You could not stand in our house and not be within arms reach of something that she made.

I lost my mother in August of 2007. I still can not say that out loud without quickly becoming inconsolable. She passed away very suddenly after suffering from complications of a disease called Scleroderma Sclerosis. This does not have to be a fatal disease, but my mother was mis-diagnosed and went un-treated for many years. I lost so much more then my mom and my best friend that day. I lost a part of me. There are just no words to express the depth of the pain. My mother was so proud of me and so excited for where she knew we were heading. She was my biggest fan! The morning that she passed away, no one knowing that would be her last, she told me "Honey, I am so proud of you. You work so hard and what you are doing is not only amazing for your family, but so many others as well." And that is what I take with me.

Immediately after my mothers passing my Aunt founded the Susan Marie Sclerodmera Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Their mission is to raise monies to support efforts to increase awareness of and treatments for scleroderma. You can learn more about this organization here: http://smsclerodermafoundation.com