May 9, 2026
It is the evening before Mother’s Day 2026. We are in San Diego. It has been a week of taking action. Taking meaningful steps toward things I’ve long postponed. One was to complete the journey of Hayley’s Diamond. We will be posting more about this journey. The short version, in 2021 we delivered some of Hayley’s Ashes to a company in Austin, Texas. Eterneva grows real diamonds in a lab from the ashes of loved ones, even pets! The story behind the idea goes back to when Hayley was alive. I just always thought it would be her that was making me into a diamond. The diamond was delivered to me at Sunshine Cottage in person in Spring 2023. It has safely sat in a safe deposit box. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. I knew a ring so I could always look at it. But I am not a jewelry person, I didn’t have a Diamond Person in my life or know a jeweler personally. It didn’t feel right to just take the memorial diamond to just any local jeweler. I would reach out to people in the business on friend’s recommendations. The one “Diamond Guy” I connected with, he couldn’t work on “lab created” diamonds or he would lose some of his accreditation or something in the diamond industry. He was wonderful and we talked for hours, he understood what I needed. So it sat. To be honest I was not ready to make decisions of any kind. I started a Pinterest board in 2020, “Hayley’s Diamond”. I would save any ring that spoke to me, or if a feature seemed right. I never saw “the one”. I knew it would need to be custom.
It was obvious to me that my friend, Susie, would be a part of this journey. She knew Hayley. She knows diamonds. She is also an amazing artist. I remember years ago witnessing her design a ring to replace her lost wedding ring. I knew she could coax it from me and it would be beautiful. We shared an album. At the beginning of April I came to visit her in San Diego. I narrowed it down to a dozen or so images. We met with her guy. A few hours later I had designed THE Ring. It was nothing like how I thought it would be. It was better. Yesterday, we watched Hayley’s Diamond be set in the custom ring. There is so much more to the story and I look forward to sharing it. Here is a sneak peek at the Ring.
Thank you for honoring Hayley by purchasing your Hayley glassybaby. We sold over 350! Hayley’s light is shining in several states and many homes. We hope it brings you years of sunshine and peace. Please continue to send Dawn photos of your Hayley. Upload the photos to Facebook or Instagram. Use the tag #belikehayley. If you missed out we will let you know when another batch becomes available
. . . . .
Please tag us with #belikehayley when wearing your cause bracelets.
Locals can pick them up from the McCutcheon Porch. If you are out of the Sammamish area, please email Dawn at belikehayley@gmail.com to request a bracelet. Take Hayley with you and post the photos to the be like Hayley Instagram and Facebook accounts. You can also send them to belikehayley@gmail.com and with your permission we will post to social media. Take her with you!
. . . . .
The #belikehayley mission is to tell the story of an amazing young adult and create awareness about organ donation.
Our Goals:
- To create awareness about organ donation.
- To ask you to take action. Register with both the DMV and our state agency, Life Center NW
- After registering as a donor, we encourage you to have a discussion with your family regarding your decision to donate
- To honor Hayley and her light that shined for 19 years. Be Kind. Be Real. Be Funny. Be Brave. Be an Organ Donor. Help us spread the “Be” movement.
⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅
We have been humbled by the love and support that we have received during this personal tragedy. We will never be the same. We knew that Hayley was extraordinary, what we didn’t know that there were hundreds of other people that felt the same.
In our kitchen, we have a family rules sign. A few of these rules include Be Happy, Be Real, Be Kind, Be Funny. Hayley teased me that I always included a “Be” in our conversations. “Be Good, Be Home on Time, Be You, Be Thankful” to name a few. We were planning to both get our first tattoos this summer. We planned to have the simple word “Be” on our wrists as a reminder to choose your “Be.” It could change depending on the day or week or year. For me, this year I wanted to Be Present and Be Thoughtful. Hayley talked about Be Active and Be Brave as her goals.
She was so excited to be a sophomore at Western Washington University. She was on track to major in Sociology and earn minors in Psychology and Communications. She wanted a career in law enforcement. She had already done a ride along with campus police and was so inspired to protect and take care of others. It is no surprise that she felt strongly about being an organ donor. On July 23rd, she succeeded in saving or improving the lives of strangers with her generous gifts. We are so proud of Hayley.
As a small child the song “You Are My Sunshine” soothed both her and me. As a young adult she always had the song lyrics hanging on her wall. She truly was my sunshine and we selected this beautiful Glassybaby design to reflect the bright light she was in our lives. We hope you light the Hayley Glassybaby often and enjoy the brightness it brings to your home.
Wear your #belikehayley bracelet with pride. Share our message of kindness and love.
On behalf of her father and brother, thank you for surrounding us with so much love and admiration for our child. You have inspired us.
With gratitude,
Hayley’s Mom