NEW YEAR, NEW INITIATIVES

Hayley McDonald reflects on two years of running her medical jewellery business My Identity – and on a partnership with Diabetes NZ that has gone from strength to strength.

We first met Hayley McDonald and her daughter Payton (who has type 1 diabetes) in our Summer 2018 issue.

Hayley wanted her medical jewellery business to give back, so, early in 2019, she began codesigning medical ID bracelets with a range of prominent personalities in the diabetes community and donating all the profits from these designs to Diabetes New Zealand.

To date, she has co-created eight stylish and practical fundraising bracelets, which you can see over the page. (And they’re still available!)

People have said to me they knew they needed to wear one, but didn't want to until now ... If you like something, you wear it.

Hayley loves this project. “What has struck me most about working with all the codesigners is their willingness to help in any way they can to assist the diabetes community. I’m just happy we can draw attention to it and keep people as safe as we can.”

Recently, Hayley and Diabetes NZ have been hatching an exciting new plan.

WEAR WHAT YOU LOVE

Payton’s type 1 diagnosis was the trigger for Hayley, a web designer with experience running an online retail shop, to start My Identity. She realised that there were probably numerous people out there who should be wearing medical bracelets, but weren’t, because they didn’t like the look or feel of them.

She set to work to make stylish and comfortable medical jewellery widely available. “I'd run an online retail business before and it was hard, but it's easier when you're passionate about something.”

Once she began the business, her hunch proved correct. “Lots of people have said to me they knew they needed to wear one but didn't want to until now. And now they're wearing it with pride. They really like it – and if you like something, you wear it.”

I have had people online saying that medical ID jewellery shouldn't be pretty; it should be functional. I just ignore it. As long as you've got that medical symbol, then you can give people a chance at least.

“We want to give you the best chance that someone can help you when you cannot help yourself. And so it’s really important for them to be very clearly marked with the medical symbol as well as looking good.”

THE PERSONAL TOUCH

As My Identity has grown, Hayley says one challenge is maintaining a personal touch. “I don't want to lose that.”

The quality of the engraving is also important. “I’ve got an amazing engraver. And it's laser engraved, so it will never come off. It goes really deep and has a lifetime guarantee.

Hayley tries to have jewellery for everyone. Although she thinks bracelets are usually the best option, they’re not always suitable. “I've had a lady who can't wear anything around her wrists because of arthritic hands. But she can wear a necklace.”

Hayley says she’s learned a lot about different conditions over the past two years. More and more, people are beginning to tell her their stories. “One lady had a child with allergies who was with their grandparents for the day. Something happened, and they'd eaten something, and they called an ambulance, and the bracelet could tell the ambos what the grandparents couldn't.

“There was another man who was allergic to bee stings – a gardener. He got a bee sting, and his face swelled up, and he couldn't talk when he went to A&E. But he just turned his bracelet over and showed them.”

Through the My Identity website, Hayley invites people to send naming suggestions for particular pieces of jewellery. “All sorts of people have wanted something named after them, and often they give me a little story to go with the name as well. That's cool because it’s also helping normalise their conditions.”

Hayley knows that when it comes to her own daughter, she’s very glad of the bracelets. “She's about to go to a much bigger school. The nurse there is good. But she’s hitting intermediate, going on a bus, getting more independent, wanting to go to the mall with her friends.” A bracelet is peace of mind.

Payton doesn’t have a massive wardrobe of medical jewellery – just a few favourite pieces. “She’s found the ones that work best for her and her current age and stage. The current favourite is the Kimberly. It’s robust for a sporty, busy 11 year old. Petra is another favourite. It’s a little more dainty. She also likes our essentials range, and I can see as she gets older she’ll want to change out the bracelets according to outfits.

A TIGHT FAMILY

Like many households, Hayley’s struggled during lockdown. Work slowed, and her My Identity business came to a standstill. She puts it down to uncertainty and concern about finances. For many people, buying a medical ID was low on the priority list. Perhaps, also, there was an element of people not going out much, and spending more time with loved ones, so not feeling like they needed a medical ID so much.

“But the flip side of that,” Hayley says, “was that we had plenty of time to delve into areas where we could save.

“Another silver lining was the amount of time we spent as a family. And I think it was also good for the kids to have us both around, to realise that we had to continue working, and to understand the financial implications of lockdown and what we could all do about it as a family.”

Now the business is thriving again, and Hayley’s children – Payton and her older brother Brody – take an interest, and help out with jobs such as packing.

A NEW INITIATIVE

After donating $4,200 to Diabetes NZ through sales of her co-designed diabetes celebrity bracelets, Hayley’s now embarking on a new collaboration.

Diabetes NZ Nelson Youth branch first had the idea to gift medical ID bracelets to newly diagnosed children in their region. Now Diabetes NZ is rolling out this brilliant idea nationwide. In 2021, a voucher for a medical ID bracelet will be included in all Newly Diagnosed Packs. Each year, Diabetes NZ gifts about 300 Newly Diagnosed Packs to hospitals all around the country.

Hayley and My Identity will be creating these bracelets – which are a new sporty style that have the writing on the outside. When redeeming the voucher, the recipient can choose from black, pink, or blue for their bracelet band.

The bracelet is also available for sale, and that’s where the public comes in. You can choose to buy one and donate one, helping ensure that 300 newly diagnosed children will get a very special extra gift – and potentially a lifesaver – in their Newly Diagnosed Pack this year.

WHAT SHOULD MY MEDICAL BRACELET SAY?

Hayley advises everyone to get these key pieces of information engraved on their medical jewellery:

• Name

• NHI number

• Condition

• An ICE (in case of emergency) number – someone to call if something were to happen to you.