Today we’d like to introduce you to Hana Kouri.
Hi Hana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have lived many lives in the last 18 years. I have always been a creative hands on person I have grown my brand over the past few years with pop up markets. My mom taught me to crochet at 12 and it has taken years of practice, trial and error to get to this point in my craft. I became a mom at 18 then again at 20, my second child was born unknowingly with significant health issues including a compromised immune system and a congenital heart defect. As a young mom of 2 I spent a lot of time in the hospital with my kiddo through various illnesses and open heart surgeries. I spent a lot of the down time there crafting, crocheting, folding origami, anything creative to keep my hands and mind busy. My child was born with 22q.11.2 deletion syndrome that comes with many health problems and other struggles. I have raised my kiddos through so much turmoil some was theirs most was mine but we made it through. When my child was 10 they were diagnosed with Thyroid cancer and it absolutely wrecked my world for a bit. I had never thought we would have to deal with cancer on top of all the other issues but there we were 2 weeks before Christmas dealing with biopsies and cancer. The best thing to come out of all of that was the community we found that lifted us up and supported us through it all. My child came out as trans 2 years ago which we have loved and supported him through that as well. In the last 2 years as my biological kiddos have grown up now 19 and 18 I have had some time to reflect and grow as a person not just a mom and am working hard to put my skills to work and do the things that make me happy. I also have a step daughter I have helped raise since she was 18 months. She moved a year ago out of state we still see her just not as often and getting used to that was hard.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I do not believe any road is truly smooth. Every path has obstacles some you see coming others you don’t, but we have never let any of them slow us down for long. I was married at 18, a mom 2 days before my 19th birthday and had a toddler and a highly special needs baby by 20. I would say I didn’t really make it easy for myself but I also wouldn’t change any of it either. I had the opportunity to grow up with my kids, I was young enough with enough energy to take them to the the 4 am concerts in down town Austin during SXSW, go to the park and run around with them, be young enough to remember what was most important to me as a child and give that to them. I had the opportunity to stay home with my kids because of Tommy’s health issues which was isolating but I am very close with my children. I was able to be available to them 24/7 and they knew no matter what if they needed me I would be there. Covid was interesting for us as we have for Tommy’s whole life isolated during illness to stop the spread because of his immune system. So all the restrictions were nothing new to us we have done this in the past. Tommy had his 5th open heart surgery on march 12, 2020 the next day the world shut down. Our family was used to being together for long periods of time and for use wasn’t too bad we enjoyed the time together. I am 38 now about to be 39 on May 17th. My oldest will be 20 on May 15th and my youngest just turned 18 and we love to spend time together. We have been through so much trauma together from constant ER trips, hospital stays, illnesses and surgeries, divorces, to moving around and more. However we have always kept a positive attitude and came together as a family. Zander my eldest graduated a year early 2 weeks after turning 17 with a 4.0 GPA and went straight into an apprenticeship for electrical. He is 2 years away from his journeyman’s license. My 18 yr old Tommy who is my medical kiddo is passing all his classes with A’s and B’s. and is getting ready to start his first job. I am so excited to be doing these pop up markets it is something I always wanted to do and am happy to finally be able to do it. Tommy and my mom are biggest helpers. .
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Crochet Artist. I love to use imagination to create interesting fiber arts. I am just starting to write some patterns, but most everything I do is freehand design. I make crochet dreamcatcher, and photo back drops. I think one of my favorite things I have made is my McDonalds bag , burger scarf and French fry gloves
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck however my kiddo says he is the luckiest unlucky person in the world, Because even with everything he has been through, it could have been so much worse. He is here, as healthy as one can be, in remission, looking good from a cardiac stand point, he is so normal looking unless you know his history you wouldn’t guess it. I believe you get what you put out into the world. So I try my best to only put out positive attitude love and peace because that is all i want in my life now. I have had enough stress for multiple lives, and peace is all I strive for.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alittlebitloopycrochet?igsh=aDgwbjAwZTRvZnFq
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EoWYkMXB7/
