Jenna’s Story—Jenna’s Clearly Protein was named in honour of a young dancer who inspired us.
Jenna was only 17 years young when she passed away quietly in her sleep in April 2016 after an epileptic seizure. We first learned of Jenna in the summer of 2014, when her mother wrote an email to my former company. Her mother Toni shared how much Jenna loved to dance – and how, because of epilepsy, it was becoming problematic for her to do what she loved to do. During competitions and recitals Jenna would get all worked up and refuse to eat beforehand, resulting in mini-seizures during/after recitals. Despite that, according to her mother Jenna never let her serious condition dampen her spirits.
When her mother Toni found our former protein drink, she convinced Jenna to try it. Toni loved the fact that it was all-natural, had no dyes, low in sugar, and tasted “fantastic”. When Jenna started drinking the protein drink, she had absolutely no issues with dancing. Through multiple routines in recitals, to dancing in the extreme heat at Disney World mid-day, Jenna was thriving.
Then physicians discovered Jenna had extremely low body fat percentage, resulting in an extremely high metabolic rate. Her body would process food and medicine more rapidly than the average teenager. Jenna would become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) during the night while sleeping, and awake the next morning with seizures. When Jenna started drinking the protein drink before bed, and first thing the next morning – no issues. Jenna and her family got to taste test this new protein drink, and gave a double thumbs up saying it was even better than before! Toni said it had changed her daughter’s life.
Well it changed ours too. Jenna’s story was so inspiring, her courage, her love for dance immense despite the medical hurdles she faced, that when we heard she had died before we could launch this new company (and a fresh supply of even better protein to her), we decided to re-name the drink in her honour. Originally to be called Qi3 Clearly Protein, it will now be called Jenna’s Clearly Protein. In celebration of Jenna’s inspiring story, each year we will choose a cause that inspires us, and donate a portion of every bottle sold to that cause for the year – starting with the Jenna Robinson Scholarship Fund which will award money each year to a dancer in need.
We have no doubt Jenna is dancing with angels now. And we thank her for her inspiring spirit and are grateful we had the chance to know her, however briefly.
Alison Prentice
CEO & President
Natural Health Group, Inc. Canada
