Local woman turns post-partum aid into business

“It was hard. Honestly, I didn’t know that I had it. I just knew I wasn’t myself. I was not having interest in anything. I was having a really hard time getting up and being happy in general I was really struggling,” she said.

She eventually was diagnosed and sought treatment from her doctor.

She picked up crocheting while staying in the hospital with her son, who would sometimes be there 15 days at a time.

“It really gets your mind thinking elsewhere you have to focus and count all your stitches. So you are really just focused on that project, and it really turns off your brain,” she said.

She learned by watching YouTube videos, and soon enough, Hafso kept accumulating finished products. So she decided to start her own business, Hafsew’s Creations.

Her mental health started to improve. But just when she thought her life was getting back to normal, she was hit with another obstacle when she and her husband both lost their jobs and their second-born daughter, Lyla, fell ill.

“Everything kind of hit the fan. She got airlifted to Calgary, and we didn’t know what was going on we didn’t know if she was going to be alive, we didn’t know. I was signing forms saying that I consent that they will do everything necessary to keep her alive,” she said.

Lyla was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy. It during was those trying moments in the hospital where Savannah hit a turning point.

“I just knew that I needed to change the way my business was. I had a whole different outlook on life. I was like ‘I need to do what I love and I need to do something for my kids,’” she said

She kick-started her relaunch of Hafsew’s Creations this fall, with all of her products inspired by her children.

And sales have been soaring. Much to everyone’s surprise at first.

“You know when you do something positive, positive things come to you, and as you can see she’s been sewing, crocheting, and now running her own business, running her own shop, and its been busy busy, like I’ve been cutting gloves many times,” said husband Tim Forest.

As for advice for anyone wanting to start their own creative business. Hafso says not to hesitate and to just go for it. She said it is common to learn while you go, and said Medicine Hat has a very supportive community when it comes to helping local crafters jumping into business.

“I started with nothing, and now I have a ton of products and now I am where I am now from nothing,” she said.

by Tiffany Goodwein

Local woman turns post-partum aid into business

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