Tackling Cancer One Necklace at a Time

Tackling Cancer One Necklace at a Time

Some days are hard and finding strength and the power within yourself can be challenging but what happens when we are faced with something big?  Something so big you think there is no way I can get through this...I can not cope with something of this magnitude.  Hearing your child has cancer is about as scary as it gets and when Emily, co-founder of ME&EM, got the news that her then 3 year old daughter, Ella, had leukemia you can image the devastation and flood of emotions she felt.  

Fast forward 8 years and the day she heard the dreadful news is as fresh as the day it happened, yet she feels passionately that the experience has left her stronger than ever.  Ella just celebrated her 5 year cancer free milestone.

Those 800+ days of treatment, hope, doubt, fear, and small victories lead Emily and her best friend Maria on an adventure all for good.  Today they own a jewelry business dedicated to helping kids and other families going through cancer.

I was lucky enough to sit down with them and hear first hand about their friendship, business and journey.

Tell us a little bit about yourselves.

We have been friends for a long time and Maria and her daughter, Molly, walked the cancer journey with us.  Having a friend there for you during such an emotional time is invaluable.  

Our company is inspired by our young daughters, Ella and Molly. Best friends, who stood side by side through Ella’s battle with cancer. Their friendship has seen more than most do in a lifetime. Empowered by their story, ME&EM was born to help raise money for pediatric cancer. We are on a mission to give back and celebrate the good in every story. Even though the story behind starting our brand is sad we want our company and jewelry to be positive, happy, and always do good.  

Why did you choose jewelry to help support cancer?

Jewelry is beautiful and makes one feel special. It can tell a story and hold an important meaning.  We made ME&EM jewelry accessible to everyone  with iconic symbols and empowering messages. We want people to feel good when they wear our jewelry knowing that they are also doing good. And it makes a perfect gift too!

That led to the idea of starting ME&EM. 

ME&EM is a promise to do good. We keep that promise by donating $1-$10 for every piece of jewelry. We spent a lot of time at Children's Cancer Institute and they have an incredible charity named Tackle Kids Cancer. Naturally we partnered with them! 100% of our donations benefit patient care, new clinical trials, & research to find a cure. While Tackle Kids Cancer is focused on saving kid’s lives, they also know all kids want to have fun, be active, and enjoy life even during treatment.  Eli Manning of the NY Giants matches all the money we raise. With his support ME&EM For good can double our impact and raise more money for a great cause.

Any advice to our subscribers on being strong?

You learn how strong you are and what you are capable of when faced with a challenge. We should celebrate our ability to do big things and always remember how powerful we are. We all have superpowers! 

Check out Emily and Maria's jewelry and help support their mission to do good.  STRONG self(ie) is honored to have partnered with them and building strong kids one box and one piece of jewelry at a time!