Our Story
The family behind Sparkle Strong
We’re a close-knit crew doing life with a lot of love, a little chaos, and just enough caffeine. Jess (single mama, foster mom, teacher, master of juggling all the things), GamGam (our family’s secret sauce), and the babes—Tabe, Jada, Tavi and our precious Jewels—make up our wild, wonderful team. From hospital hallways to holiday lights, we show up for each other and for fun times. Life hasn’t exactly been smooth, but it’s full of sparkle, strength and stories we’re still writing—together.
Our big-hearted crew extends well beyond our household. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends-who-are-family have all rallied around us in this heart journey—cheering us on, showing up, and holding us steady. As we began the transplant journey, we said goodbye to our family’s matriarch and patriarch, two pillars of strength and grace who shaped our roots. Our grandparents’ love is still our compass, and their legacy keeps us Sparkle Strong even on the hardest days.
The Heart Journey
Our heart journey began when the tiniest, fiercest girl —nicknamed precious Jewels by her brother and sister— came into our lives with a spark and a complex congenital heart defect. Life quickly shifted from everyday routines to navigating hospital halls, learning medical lingo and living bedside in the CICU. It’s a world we never expected but now know intimately. Through the beeping monitors, long nights and countless hopes and prayers, we’ve found strength we didn’t know we had—and a community for which we’re so grateful. Jewels reminds us daily that even a little heart can hold big magic.
The Sparkle Strong Start
Sparkle Strong was born from a place of deep gratitude and heartstrong purpose. When others stepped in to help our family through our hardest days, I knew I wanted to give back — to be that light for someone else. Being away from my classroom left me searching for a way to keep helping, to use my heart and gifts in a new way. Sparkle Strong became that outlet.
Early on, I began donating craft supplies to caregiver support groups at both OU Children’s and Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Small gestures, maybe — but meaningful. And they lit a fire in me.
I’d seen firsthand how often the unique challenges of single moms and foster parents get overlooked — juggling impossible schedules, carrying emotional and logistical loads with little support, and, for foster parents, having even less say in life-or-death decisions for the children they love like their own. That reality shaped Sparkle Strong’s mission: to stand in the gap and uplift families who are so often doing the impossible, quietly and alone.
From those first donations, our work grew. Today, Sparkle Strong provides Sparkle Strong Survival Kits, CICU-specific resources, and heartfelt connection to families navigating the complexities of CHD and transplant life. We’re still in the trenches ourselves — and we hope you feel that when we connect.
What makes Sparkle Strong a little different? We intentionally seek out families like ours — the ones with extra layers to their already heavy load — but we wrap our arms around every heart family with love and understanding. We want every person we reach to feel seen, heard and deeply validated.
At the heart of it all, we believe that even in the hardest moments, there’s still room for joy, kindness and a little sparkle — okay, a lot of sparkle. We’re here to walk beside you, cheer you on and remind you that even when life gets messy, you can still shine like you mean it.
Sparkle on, friend. You’ve got this — and we’ve got you.
