Valley mom turns son's medical condition into a way to celebrate differences

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - In this week's Community Cares, a Valley mom realizes her son's medical condition is a way for everyone to celebrate uniqueness and "Rock Your Different."

"Rory is 4-years-old now but we noticed his eye condition when he was 13-months-old and he essentially has a lazy eye," said Jennifer Krienert, Rory's mom.

They work hard so his eye doesn't have to. Patching is part of Rory's therapy. It turns on the communication between the eye and the brain.

"Makes my eye stronger," said Rory.

"He's okay with wearing them but he doesn't always love getting questions if we are out and about in public," said Krienert.

Two years ago Jennifer Krienert had an idea, a way for Rory to feel like he is really special, a way for everyone to "Rock Your Different."

The slogan, three little words, that motivate not only her son but everyone who reads them to celebrate what makes us all unique.

Krienert creates "Rock Your Different" hats, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. A portion of proceeds from sales benefits kids at Phoenix Children's Hospital where Rory has been treated.

"We have shirts for everybody we even have a couple of onesies and the coolest thing about it is that parents and kids can wear the matching shirts so they have the same design in different sizes," said Krienert.

Rory will likely need to patch until he is 9-years-old. Until then, he knows different is okay, different is good, he can rock it.

"I just wanted him to feel confident and I figured he wasn't the only one who had something that made him different that was so visual and so I thought it was a great way to boost confidence and celebrate what makes kids different," said Krienert.

Merchandise runs anywhere from $20 to $40 and can be found on their website here.