A superhero’s cape conveys a sense of power and strength. One Magnolia woman is showing sick and disabled children around the world how truly powerful they are by outfitting them with their very own capes.
Robyn Rosenberger made her first cape for her nephew’s birthday last summer. After that, she decided to make one for Brenna Westlake, a young girl born with Harlequin ichthyosis, a rare skin condition. Rosenberger had been following Brenna’s story on the Facebook page “Blessed by Brenna.” She then sent about 10 capes to other kids with advocacy pages. Brenna was born only months after Rosenberger’s own now-2-year-old son, Rory.
“It really amazes me how the parents step up and really how resilient the kids are,” she said. “They have a lot of adversity to overcome, and they do. So, in that way, I think they’re superheroes.”
What Rosenberger couldn’t have predicted was those little acts of kindness would spawn a new business and a whole new life. She was working at a software company when she started Tiny Superheroes in January 2013; now Tiny Superheroes has its first location in Magnolia (3206 W. Lynn St.).
“You’re dealing with hundreds of families who have children who are really sick,” she said. “It’s much more difficult than I ever imagined but also more fulfilling.”
A long waiting list
The capes range in size: from newborn to age 18. They’re made out of fleece, with a silky inner lining, and the child’s first initial branded to the back. Rosenberger expected the children to be happy with the gift for a day and then move on; instead, the kids take them everywhere.
“It’s a tangible reminder to them and to strangers who are observing that ‘this kid is special ... and maybe you could take a moment to get to know them rather than judge,’” she said.
On-line, people can nominate a Tiny Superhero, purchase a cape or purchase a cape for the healthy children in their lives — those Super Sidekick purchases are matched with a cape donated to a Tiny Superhero on the waiting list. The realm of illness and disability is big, Rosenberger said, and so is the waiting list. There are currently about 200 children waiting to get their capes.
The harsh reality of childhood illnesses is that not every child survives. Those children become part of the Angel Squad, and Rosenberger sends capes in their memory.
Initially, Rosenberger sewed all of the capes herself. Now, a company in West Seattle makes the capes, and so far, 2,500 Tiny Superheroes have received their capes. The capes have flown to every state and 15 countries. The league of superheroes continues to grow by about 100 capes per week.
Empowering children, families
Magnolia resident Kate Thorbeck’s 2-year-old son Finn Thorbeck Cunningham is a Tiny Superhero. Finn has acute lymphoblastic leukemia and has already completed 10 months of chemotherapy and treatment at Seattle Children’s hospital.
One day last spring, a package arrived for Finn saying: “All of your buddies at the Magnolia Co-op Preschool think you’re a Tiny Superhero!” Inside was a blue cape with an orange “F.” At that point, Finn was too young to know what a superhero or even a cape really was. When he first put it on, he wore it backward like the apron his mother wears to cook, saying, “Mama, mama — ta-daaa!”
“He is a little young to totally get that whole aspect, but he likes his cape, and it makes him smile,” Thorbeck said in an e-mail. “I guess that in itself is empowering.”
Rosenberger’s goal is simple: empower these kids and help their families raise awareness. When children receive their cape, they join the Tiny Superhero Squad and their stories and pictures are posted on the Tiny Superheroes blog and Facebook page. “It’s a community more than a one-time gift,” Rosenberger said.
Facebook is a critical part of Rosenberger’s business. The advocacy pages give parents a sense of hope.
“Raising awareness is the one thing the parents have control over, so we want to run with them with that,” she said.
For Thorbeck, clicking “like” on a Facebook photo is her way of helping a fellow parent. She knows those small gestures mean everything: It reminds parents that they’re not alone, she said.
Looking to the future
Tiny Superheroes has changed Rosenberger’s life in every way — from her job to how she wants to raise her son. She’s more appreciative of what she has in life and what she can do with it.
“We all die and we kind of live our life in denial of that, and these families don’t,” she said. “Because of that, they’re able to be grateful for every single day.”
With such a strong presence on-line, only about 25 capes have gone to Seattle children. Rosenberger brings capes to children at Seattle Children’s and the Ronald McDonald House, and she hopes to continue to build those relationships. Seattle Superheroes are her favorite, though, because she gets to hand-deliver the capes and meet the children who will wear them.
Rosenberger doesn’t know what the future holds. She’s trying to stay focused on the community and clothing as many superkids as possible.
“I’m hopeful and open that if I keep the goal in mind — of making these kids feel special — that the path will continue to be paved as it has so far,” she said.
Finn’s prognosis is good, but there is still a long road ahead for the Tiny Superhero. The cape is simple, Thorbeck said, but there’s so much meaning and love behind them.
“It lets kids and their parents know that they are important and powerful, that they are so much more than their illness,” she said. “I always think of a woman that didn’t even know my child, yet she thought he was special enough to deserve a cape. I think she feels that way about all the sick children that she sews them for.”
For more information or to buy or sponsor a cape, visit tinysuperheroes.com.
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