Fellow Etsian Speaks Out!

Etsy shop owner of shadesofsplendor, Victoria, has touched me in a way I never could imagine.

Victoria is a mother of 3. While be challenged with everyday parenting, her 5 year old son, Ethan, has lead poisoning. Victoria does not know exactly what caused the lead poisoning. It could have been a multitude of things. Victoria is a crafter, just as many of us are, and understands the frustration with the CPSIA laws. She also knows the importance of them. These laws will continue to protect children from suffering as her son does.

Victoria says, "I will be the first to agree that the new CPSIA laws are ridiculous: they are going too far: that changes must be made to protect our "way of life". I am a crafter, I understand the dilemma and the pain that is affecting many of my friends here on Etsy, and the impact it is having on your income and family. To hear that a child could not buy a baseball glove; or after spending an afternoon shopping for a bike, was turned away at the register, saddens me greatly." She shows great compassion for our crafting community. What we don't understand is the other side of the CPSIA; Victoria's side.

"MY child suffered from lead poisoning. I have read posts that have seemed so heartless, with words such as "only one child has been known to die of lead poisoning in the last 10 years", or "I made it through, and I'm 80 years old"." She continues with, "What if it HAD happened to YOUR child? What if your son or daughter was the one who had died- or, what if your child was one of millions who suffered neurological damage; perhaps causing near blindness in one eye? MY CHILD HAS SUFFERED. We never found the "item"- for all we know it could have been any number of things combined during the phase when every toy in our home was up for teething and chewing on."

Ethan is a very happy 5 year old boy who battles his lead poisoning with therapy to retrain his eye-brain connection. He will be entering Kindergarten this fall where he will be challenged on a daily basis.

Victoria and her son are a perfect example of why the CPSIA laws are so important. These laws have not been created to attack crafters, but to protect children. I hope we all don't loose sight of that as we continue to fight for amendments.