From Birthright To Passion

We have a lot of people ask us what made us decide to open The Herbal Toad, and a lot of people don’t know the true miracle behind the becoming of our family business. While herbalism dates back for many generations in our family, there is a story behind what pulled my mother from a place of taking this heritage for granted and what turned it into a business and heartfelt passion. So, here it is!

The picture on the left was my mom in 2015 on one of the last days she was able to leave home. The picture on the right is her at her healthiest, pain free, full of energy, inspiration, 3 grandkids later. 

Losing the Mother I Knew

Evelyn was under a year old, and I was going to college. Every Monday-Thursday my mom would babysit Evelyn from 8am-1:30pm. Then I would come home, and go to work from 4pm-10pm. My mom was working around the clock to help me be successful for myself and my daughter. I was 7 months into a 9 month college program, and was doing very well, but it was also during this time that my mom became very ill. She was in pain day in, and out. Our entire family watched her spiral downhill before our eyes, and the once bubbly, energetic, always on the go, and full of plans mother of mine, was at her all time worst. The pain would cause her to not be able to get out of bed, which therefore she’d get depressed and defeated. All she wanted to do was help her family. The days she pushed herself to go out with her family, the pain would cause her to throw up. We would have to stop along side the road, and she’d get sick. She would go home, and get sick some more, until she could finally fall asleep. Her hair started to fall out, and at this point, she was just getting by, and was on pure survival mode. She lost her ability to drive, or even get herself up from a seated position.

Everyone On Board

Despite her pain and troubles, she would push through. She would tell me to finish school, that she had this. She cheered me on through all her pain. She would stay up late with me when I did homework. She’d make me coffee on the nights homework would take 5 plus hours with a baby. She’d give me a hug and tell me how proud she was of me, even after getting sick, and seeing chunks of her hair fall out. But one day I was sitting at school, and my dad called me, and told me she was really bad off. He had been doing everything he could to help her, and was starting to feel hopeless. I knew that it was time to put school on hold. My family came first, and we had to get mom better. We came together, my dad, my brother, and my sister-in-law, to do whatever it took to give my mother comfort. I knew it’s not what she wanted, but the decision was made for me to leave school to help see my mother through some of her roughest days.

At the time, my mom didn’t have health insurance. She knew she needed an MRI, but knew whatever it revealed, the outcome would be within God’s and her own hands. I took her for an MRI that she paid for, and she found out she had a herniated protruding disc, which caused the sciatica and piriformis muscle issues. The doctors told her it was an incredibly serious situation, and there would be absolutely no relief for her, unless she had surgery, and very soon.

The Turnaround

She was not willing to anything without much prayer and consideration, and it was during that process that she was reintroduced to the power of nature. While she was beginning to feel the positive effects of God’s healing and all that He provided for her to improve her condition, a real passion was awakened. I saw my mom getting super hands on. She was surrounded by books, on her much loved herbalist forums, taking classes to add to her missing credits, experimenting, and living life. She became a certified herbalist and aromatherapist.

The Beginning of a Business

She knew she couldn’t just stop at treating herself. She wanted to help others. She wanted to share with people the miracles behind natural medicine. She slowly began her journey towards starting a small business. At the time, my dad was still working, so she was looking at just starting something small, she could use as a hobby and have passion for. Came the summer in 2017, she opened up her first location, and quickly got in the groove, and shared her passion through educating the community through classes. My dad left his job to help my mother follow her dream, and it was after that, in 2018 that they relocated the store to another location. In 2019 my brother left his job of 7 years to also work at The Herbal Toad full time.

This small business of ours now supports our entire family, because of my moms bravery and faith to turn something bad into good! Not a day goes by we aren’t thankful for God and his mighty plans. We acknowledge daily that if our mom never went through this trial in life, that we wouldn’t be living this blessed life.

Thankful and Blessed

We have been so thankful, and honored for the connections we have made in our community, both through the store and online, and for everybody that has believed in us and the power of natural medicine! But most importantly, not a day goes by that we don’t acknowledge God’s plans! I will forever respect my mom for showing us that if you have a passion for something, that anything is possible as long as you continue to push through!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28