The Who Is Carter Foundation is honored to collaborate with Lauren's Hope Medical ID Jewelry, an Annual Who Is Carter Gala Sponsor and generous Foundation supporter, as well as one of the affiliate partners for products offered on The Brain Possible. Who Is Carter and Lauren’s Hope share the common mission of supporting children with special needs. Tara Cohen, Director of Marketing for Lauren’s Hope and parent of a child with special needs, shares how listening and compassion transformed her family’s life.

The first day of preschool. For most, it’s one filled with smiling pictures, mini backpacks that still somehow look huge, carefully packed lunches, and a few bittersweet tears. It’s a day of parents collectively wondering how our babies, who were clearly just born last month, are somehow old enough to walk into an elementary school and wave goodbye to us. 

For my family, however, it was a day I both longed for and dreaded. I knew my son, Will, then just three years old and one year into his autism diagnosis, was going to get so much more professional support and therapy in his specialized pre-k program. And yet I was beyond nervous to hand my non-verbal toddler over to a bunch of strangers. What if he wandered off and couldn’t tell anyone his name or answer when people were calling his name? The very idea kept me up at night. He needed this help, but sending him to school was terrifying to me.

Finding A Solution

I started labeling everything Will was going to take to school. I ordered custom vinyl labels for his cups, backpack, lunchbox, shoes, you name it. Everything was branded with his name and two emergency phone numbers. But stickers in his shoes were certainly not going to help if he wandered. I needed something more. 

So I started looking into ID bands and quickly realized that a medical alert bracelet would suit our needs perfectly. I shopped around the internet and found a lot of big, bulky bracelets. They looked more suited for full-grown men than toddlers. There were necklaces, but I felt sure Will would take those off in about two seconds. 

I bought a medical alert bracelet from an online retailer and put it on Will. Finally, I could relax, right? Well… sort of. For a week maybe. But then Will’s bracelet broke, and I got no support from the company I’d purchased from. So I tried another brand. And another. I had the same disappointing experience over and over again. I just could not believe how hard it was to find a medical ID for a little kid. And then I found Lauren’s Hope. 

Lauren’s Hope had a lot of med IDs to choose from, including a big selection for little boys. I ordered Will a black beaded bracelet with these little silver accent beads. It was boyish and cute and looked well made. And much to my surprise, Will loved it! In fact, he loved it a little too much...he chewed those cute silver beads into little bead pancakes!

Someone Actually Listened

Given the experiences I’d had to date, I expected very little when I called Lauren’s Hope to order a replacement for Will’s beloved bracelet. To my surprise, however, the customer service rep told me I didn’t have to order anything: Will’s bracelet was under warranty. All I had to do was mail it in, and they would fix it for free. 

This was enough to make me a customer for life. But then the Lauren’s Hope rep took things one step further, explaining that they handcraft their beaded jewelry on site. She asked if I wouldn’t mind sharing a little more about Will, explaining that she was sure they could make something to better suit his needs. 

So we talked. And she listened. And within a week, Will had a brand-spanking-new bracelet, handmade just for him with all black beads (no more of the silver ones he liked to chew!) and double the internal wire for extra strength. We had that bracelet for a long time. And when it was time to replace it? You bet I went back to Lauren’s Hope.

The Best Purchase of My Life

Any time Will needed a new bracelet, I would call Lauren’s Hope. I got to know a few of the lovely folks on their small, tight knit team. Over time I went from customer to blog-interviewee to freelance marketer. Finally, in 2013, I moved to Kansas City to join the Lauren’s Hope team full time. 

I’ve now been part of the Lauren’s Hope team for seven years. I love our customers, and of course I have a special fondness for those whose children have cognitive impairments, learning challenges, developmental disabilities, and other special needs like my son. I feel so blessed and fortunate to be able to use my daily energies to pay forward the immeasurable kindness shown to me when I was a Lauren’s Hope customer. My work takes me full circle on a daily basis, and I am so fortunate to be able to do it. 

Some Helpful Tips

When people reach out to Lauren’s Hope for the first time, they tend to have three basic questions about medical IDs for kids:

1. Does my child actually need a medical ID? If you’re asking, then the answer is yes. If your child has an allergy or medical condition that could either cause an emergency (EG: seizure disorder) or be made worse by medical treatment (EG: being given a medication s/he’s allergic to), your child needs a medical ID. Even verbal children who understand their conditions need medical IDs simply because children do not carry identification. They are very likely to panic in an emergency and be unable to recall parents’ phone numbers, their medication information, and other vital information.

2. What kind of medical ID is right for my kid? The best med ID for your child is one s/he will actually wear. Does your child have sensory issues? Does he chew shirtsleeves? Does she fidget? Think through your child’s particular needs and work from there. I highly recommend our stainless steel IDs, as they are hypoallergenic, waterproof, and durable, which are important traits for 24/7 wear. 

3. What do I engrave on my child’s medical ID? Medical ID engravings vary person to person, of course, but generally, the format is pretty standard:

   1. Full name

   2. Medical condition(s)

   3. Allergies (food + drug)

   4. Treatment considerations / restrictions 

   5. Emergency contact number #1

   6. Emergency contact number #2

Here’s a sample:

JOSHUA CARTER

AUTISM - NONVERBAL

ALGY: SULFA, LATEX

MOM: 555-929-2679

DAD: 555-181-9302

To order your child’s medical ID, please visit us at www.laurenshope.com. All purchases made through this link supports the tremendous work of our friends at The Brain Possible and the Who is Carter Foundation. 

Tara Cohen is the Director of Marketing for Lauren’s Hope Medical ID Jewelry, a privately owned Kansas City retailer known for its community involvement, philanthropic activities, award-winning leadership, high quality products, and outstanding customer support. A staunch advocate for children with special needs, Tara writes and speaks publicly about her son, Will, who has autism, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, sensory integration dysfunction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other underlying diagnoses. Connect with Tara on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/taracohen/