IDEX magazine article

Below is a reprint from IDEX magazine, and is a beautiful example of how the Butterfly of Life jewelry has touched peoples life.

In February 2000, the St. Peter, Minnesota resident was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a disease she has been living with ever since. At the time of her diagnosis, Willaert was given the type of news that people dread. She was told that her life expectancy could be counted on one hand– just five years. “It was,” she says, “the most devastating day of my life.” Thankfully, so far she has proven the doctors wrong and is doing everything she can to turn the terrible experience into something positive, even during the surgeries and chemotherapy treatments she continues to endure. It is Willaert’s understanding of living with cancer that led her to try to do something to help increase research into the disease, and also to bring a bit of beauty to the lives of fellow sufferers. With her experience in the jewelry world – she works at Exclusively Diamonds in Mankato, Minnesota– it was inevitable that she would do something with jewelry, which is how Butterfly of Life was born. “I was undergoing treatment at the Mayo Clinic,” she says, “when my oncologist said to me that I should design something. I wanted to create a fine piece of jewelry other than the ribbon that you see everywhere.” When it came to figuring out what that jewelry should be, Willaert reached an impasse and began second guessing whether she could even take on the task of designing the piece. It took a seemingly innocuous event to give her the design inspiration she was searching for. In 2005, she was sitting outside her house when a butterfly fluttered by her face. With that simple event, she found her inspiration. “I took this as a sign from God that I needed to go ahead with the process,” she says simply. “Butterflies signify new beginnings and as a cancer survivor, each step in the cancer journey means a new beginning,” says Willaert, who stresses that she is not a designer but rather an ordinary person who loves jewelry. Butterfly of Life is built around a single butterfly design that is adapted not only for each type of pocket but also for each type of cancer. Manufactured by the Kirchner Corporation, the butterflies are available as a white or yellow gold pendant or charm in a variety of designs. Any colored gemstone or diamond can be set in the butterfly to represent a specific type of cancer, in accordance with the American Cancer Society’s awareness colors. The butterflyoflife.com website lists the different stones available and the sadly dizzying array of cancers they represent: from teal diamond, which represents Willaert’s own ovarian and cervical cancer, black diamond for melanoma, peridot for lymphoma, to emerald for kidney cancer. Kirchner donates $5 for every butterfly sold, and an additional $5 is donated from every retail sale. The proceeds have been donated to the Mayo Clinic as well as to local charities. “I am a cancer survivor,” says Willaert, “and I feel a very strong need for research and education. Cancer can be a debilitating and lonely disease. With research and education, it is my hope to help as many individuals as I can. It is my entire mission.” Willaert is quick to point out that although some people buy the pieces simply because they like butterflies, most people have a deeper motivation behind their purpose. “We have sold Butterflies to all types of individuals. Most of them are purchased to wear in honor, memory or support of someone who is special to them or is a cancer research supporter.” Inevitably, with such an emotive item, Willaert has heard a lot of stories. “The most rewarding thing for me is the people who purchase them because they are remembering a loved one who has cancer or who has died from cancer. I have heard so many heartwarming stories over the past two years, which has given me so much gratification. That was one of my main reasons for creating the Butterfly, as I want individuals to share their stories.” While Butterfly of Life commemorates and celebrates sufferers of al l forms of cancer, many jewelers and designers use the wide support given to breast cancer during the annual October Breast Cancer Awareness month for their charitable actions. The connection is hardly surprising as women are the main end-users of jewelry and also the main sufferers of breast cancer.