STEPHANIE SPADER:
CONTINUING A LEGACY By Natalie Slieter Photos by Maggie Sweets Photography
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tephanie Spader appears to be your typical working mother. She has five beautiful children who never cease to keep her busy: Maasa and AJ, both in high school, Catherine in middle school, Teresa in elementary school, and Rebekah. She has been married to her husband Tony for almost 20 years. Stephanie is also a top leader with the global sales company, Norwex, where she educates people on how to clean their homes without the use of toxic chemicals. But if you look beyond that, you see a woman who has dealt with problems that no one wishes to face: children with health problems and ultimately, losing one of them due to the effects of environmental toxins. The passion she has for her work with Norwex comes from the journey she went on with her daughter Rebekah. Stephanie’s first born, Maasa, was diagnosed with Hereditary Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy (HSAN), an inherited disorder that causes sensory dysfunction, such as depressed reflexes, altered pain, and temperature perception. The challenges of caring for a medically fragile child meant leaving her job as an office manager. Over the next few years, she brought AJ and Catherine into the world. When Stephanie was pregnant with Rebekah, fourth in the lineup, she knew something was off. It was similar to her first pregnancy and once Rebekah was born, Stephanie knew Rebekah also had HSAN. Even though the symptoms were present, it wasn’t officially diagnosed until Rebekah was two years old.
Stephanie Spader
After Rebekah’s diagnosis, Stephanie and her husband were left caring for two medically fragile children. Much of their time was spent in and out of hospitals due to Maasa and Rebekah both having immune deficiency along with the HSAN. This lifestyle was emotionally and physically draining. While they did have challenges, her family was happy and relying on each other and their friends to face those challenges together. Family was and is the most important thing to Stephanie. Their fifth child, Teresa, was a surprise coming four years after Rebekah. They didn’t realize just how important her life would be. Before Rebekah turned six, she was hospitalized around Thanksgiving due to a respiratory infection. Stephanie remembers the family being antsy to leave so they could spend the holiday together outside of the hospital. But one of Rebekah’s doctors wouldn’t release her and Stephanie later learned it was because he saw an abnormality in her blood work.