Keynote Speaker: Jennic Law from KangarooBoo

Just A Girl. That may be how Jennic Law was seen as a second child in China, or by those that don’t know her.  After you hear Jennic’s inspirational story I’m sure you’ll see her as I do: strong as steel and a shining example of the American Dream.

Despite a rough start in life in extremely poor rural China and against all odds, Jennic’s life story is one of triumph and human resilience. Her struggles began even before she was born – Jennic is the second child in the family – and was almost aborted at 5 months gestation because of the One Child Policy that just started few months prior. Thanks to her parents’ determination to keep their second child, they flee their meager home (and leaving their toddler son to an elder family member) and went into hiding until she was born.

The hardship didn’t end there. Indoor plumbing, water, and electricity were just some of the things that were lacking. Her parents had to work very long hours, every single day of the week just to put enough food on the table for the family of 5 — Great-Grandmother was living under the same roof and took care of Jennic and her brother in her parents absence. She was very much loved and wanted even though she was a girl born into a society where boys are typically much more valued than girls. Lacking materialistically is not to be mistaken with lack of love and happiness.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. And other times, no so much.

For all her years she had been a healthy person, and everyone in her family lived healthy lives (or maybe it was because they didn’t have access to doctors and didn’t know any better). Until she turned 24. That year, everything changed again drastically. Jennic went through many major life changing situations in the span of 6 short months: college graduation, first professional job, marriage, first home, and also experienced her first major health problem. Ten weeks after their wedding, Jennic was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and endured long months of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Thankfully the toxic treatments put the cancer in remission and she was able to have two healthy children.

So how does a poverty stricken Chinese girl go from living in rural China to starting/running a successful toy company and living in Des Moines, Iowa? Come to the conference and learn some heart warming and sometimes heart wrenching stories of a simple girl.

Jennic Law lives in West Des Moines, Iowa with her husband Justin, a web developer, and their two  children. All four of them work – actually play is a better word – at KangarooBoo (the kids have important jobs as Toy Testers!). KangarooBoo is an online shopping destination as well as a storefront for unique toys and gifts. The flagship store is in North Valley Junction, West Des Moines, Iowa.