At the Miche Momentum event this past February I had the pleasure of meeting Holly Owens, a Representative from Idaho. She shared with me the heartbreaking story about her daughter Scarlett. During her pregnancy with Scarlett, Holly caught what she thought was a common cold, but she could not have been more wrong. Holly had caught Congenital CMV—a virus that is common and is usually harmless to people with healthy immune systems; however, the CMV can be dangerous is if you catch the virus while pregnant. When an expectant woman catches the virus, it is transmitted to the unborn child and can have a devastating impact on the brain; in fact, children born with congenital CMV can die or suffer severe disabilities such as deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, seizures. Unfortunately for the Owens family, little Scarlett only lived 18 days due to the severe effect that CMV had on her brain.
Scarlett’s story does not end here though. Three years after Scarlett’s passing, the Owens family was blessed with another little girl they named Sienna. Sienna didn’t have the easiest start to life. She was born extremely prematurely and weighed less than one pound! She spent six long months in ICU, but the family believes that Sienna’s big sister Scarlett was with her as a guardian angel—guiding and protecting her on her long journey of survival.
The Owens family has been through a lot and is passionate about spreading awareness about CMV. Only 14% of the American population has heard of it, and most are unaware of the life-threatening impacts it can have on an unborn child. To help Holly and her family spread the word about CMV, we decided to name our newest Prima Shell Sienna—in honor of this brave little girl and her guardian angel, Scarlett.
that is such a touching story! it gave me goosebumps… thanks for being a great company that thinks of your representatives. I am truely blessed to sell Miche.
Thank you so much for sharing this story. I love knowing that there is a reason for everything Miche does and that the company is woven directly to lives of everyday people. That is what makes a company real. Thanks also to the Owens family for sharing their story and opening the doorway to spreading the word about CMV to more people. This is just one more reason I love being a part of this company.
Beautiful story, and one more reason to love my Sienna shell! Thank you for sharing this.
What a beautiful heartwarming story. The name, Sienna, is beautiful in itself, along with the bag. Knowing the background story makes this bag all the more special. Thank you Miche, for sharing!
I can relate to Scarlett’s story, my son was born with CMV 21 years ago. However, he had a very different outcome. I would love to help Scarlett’s parents spread the word about CMV. Please pass my e-mail on to her parents.
This just makes me want to order this one even more! Thanks Miche for being such a compassionate and caring company… It is an honor to represent you..
What an moving story! Thank you so much for sharing the inspiration behind the name of the lovely Sienna. I. too, feel blessed to be a part of such a caring company. Best wishes to the Owens family — now and always.
For more information about CMV please go to CMVfoundation.org and/or stopcmv.org
I would like to challenge other distributors to donate the profits of this shell to help raise awareness for CMV and to tell everyone you love about this devastating virus. Please call if you have any questions 208-547-7778. Sincerely I thank MICHE for taking an interest in CMV awareness and for the honor of naming this shell after my little fighter and her guardian angel.
OMG….this is such a touching story! My son’s English teacher has a child who is affected by this and he is just a doll. He is blind and deaf, doesn’t walk and will never eat, but she says that he is the light of her life! I myself have a disabled child, and they truly are God’s gift! I love being part of a company that is so giving and supportive. Thank you Miche for everything you have given to me and my family!
It has indeed been quite a rollercoater ride having Holly and her family as friends. It has also been inspiring, uplifting and adventurous.I will carry my Sienna both the shell and the girl with pride. Thank you Miche for helping to spread the awareness of CMV.
I am so touched that your company named this bag in honor of Sienna and Scarlett. I too have a child affected by congenital CMV. His name is Cody and he will be turning 11 years old on the 12th of this month. He has severe spastic quatreplegia and is profoundly deaf as a result of the cytomegalovirus (CMV), and requires a wheelchair for mobility. He is such a gift to us in that we have learned to enjoy every moment. His life expectancy was 1 day, so we’ve been blessed with an extra 10 years, 360 days so far. I hope and pray that seeing this story will save a life. Thank you again for your compassion and caring.
Thank you for spreading awareness about congenital CMV! My son, was born with the infection 20 years ago and has multiple disabilities as a result. CMV is the number one cause of disabilities in children. It is more common than Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, spina bifida and pediatric HIV, yet most adult have never heard of it.
I have the immense honor of being friends with Holly Owens. She is truly an inspiration. I have never met a stronger person in my life. Her faith and love are so strong and every single person she talks to ends up smiling for one reason or another. Her story of baby Scarlett and Sienna is truly amazing. I think it takes a lot of courage to get through what she went through. Thank you so much Miche for doing this and honoring Scarlett and Sienna and the Owens family. xoxo
My dear friend has a child who has been affected by CMV, I bought the sienna bag to help raise money to support the ongoing awareness of this virus. Apart from loving the look it is a great way to support a cause. I look forward to receiving my bag and shells. I think I will be hooked on miche bags as is my lovely friend. Thanks holly for the great service.