A Tea Just for You: Heart Mom Comfort Tea!
Just in time for Mother's Day, Sisters by Heart is proud to announce a new partnership! The Herb Stop, located in Pine, Arizona, (owned and operated by a heart mom/daughter duo - Leilah and Natalie) developed Heart Mom Comfort Tea especially for Sisters by Heart and heart moms everywhere!
Heart Mom Comfort Tea's proprietary herbal blend was hand-selected by herbalists Leilah and Natalie, to bring comfort and calming to heart moms. The Tea comes with a message of hope and comfort for all heart moms (and dads) - and, at the same time, supports newly diagnosed HLHS families, as proceeds from sales will benefit Sisters by Heart.
For the month of May, The Herb Stop is selling Heart Mom Comfort Tea with an adorable heart-shaped filter for only $17.95!
To sweeten the deal even more, Herb Stop is offering a gift set to one lucky winner which will include a jar of Heart Mom Comfort Tea, a Heart-Shaped Filter, Walnut Scrub, Herbal Bath Bags and a bottle of Lavender Oil. Everyone who places an order in May gets a chance to win!
After May, the Tea will sell for $15.95, with the filter sold separately. Make sure to grab yours now to get Heart Mom Comfort Tea and the heart filter for you or a special heart mom in your life!
Read more about Herb Stop owners, Leilah and Natalie's journey with congenital heart defects, and why our CHD community has inspired them!
by Leilah Brietler (Founder of the Herb Stop)
When my daughter Natalie was born, she was definitely ready to join the world. Labor was quick. We could not avoid going through a few red lights as we made our way to the hospital. We checked in at 3 a.m. At 6:35 Natalie made her arrival, without complications and, surprisingly, without that usual first baby cry. With great joy I held my daughter. Our eyes met and in that moment knew we were meant to share life’s journey. That sacred moment was brief. A nurse soon entered the room. She swiftly took Natalie from my arms and, without explanation as to what was happening, my beautiful daughter was placed in intensive care. Suddenly, all alone, I was left to wonder what was wrong. My precious daughter looked beautiful and perfect, why was she taken from me? I knew there must be a mistake. I waited. After a few, very long, hours of not knowing, a pediatrician entered the room and I learned of Natalie’s heart conditions.
Our first appointment with our pediatrician was intense. Natalie was placed in a tightly fitting, tube-like machine with her arms above her head. She screamed profusely, almost turning blue. This experience was extremely traumatizing both for Natalie and for me. I felt alone and without support. My husband was working and unable to be with me. Our two-year old son was home with a babysitter. The nurse took an exhausted Natalie out of this tube-like machine and handed her to me to dress in preparation for meeting with our doctor. The attending pediatric cardiologist entered the room. He sat down and drew a picture showing Natalie’s numerous heart conditions. In the next few, though to me they felt endless, minutes, he explained in detail the conditions that affected Natalie’s heart. It all ended with a prognosis of doom and gloom. Because her survival was at stake, she would require weekly monitoring at the hospital. Her heart condition was considered so severe that it carried the likelihood of open-heart surgery at a young age.
I was devastated. In the cold and sterile environment of the hospital I sat in shock. How could this brave, perfect looking little girl have such life threatening problems? Why was there nobody there to comfort me, to console me, to empathize, or to offer hope?
After many sleepless nights crying and worrying, I prayed and pleaded for help. As an herbalist I sought connection through the use of herbs. There I found both answers and hope. I raised Natalie with daily herbal support. I also taught her always to keep love in her heart and to be a joyful person. The heart, after all, is the center of love.
Today Natalie is 33 year old. She is a vegan, a weightlifter, a popular herbalist and a successful businesswoman. Every day it is my joy to work by her side. As a team Natalie and I own and operate the Herb Stop in Pine, AZ. Natalie is monitored every six months by two cardiologists. Surgery is still not in the picture. She is without symptoms and lives life to the fullest knowing that her heart is delicate and needs daily support.
I feel close to the “Sisters by Heart” because I believe in the way they reach out in support of one another so that other women do not have to suffer alone and without answers as I did. Natalie also shares this tie to “Sisters by Heart.” On some level I am sure she remembers the traumatic experiences she had to endure upon her arrival into this world. All these brave young mothers are truly our sisters by heart.