A few months before settling into her home in Chattanooga, Seahorse Snacks founder Stacy Martin discovered that her mother had stage 4 uterine cancer.
Through that, the family learned that they had a genetic mutation and there was a 50 percent chance that Stacy and her two siblings would have the same mutation. If they did, it meant they would have an extremely high chance of getting stomach cancer, which is aggressive and often hard to detect until it’s too late.
It turns out that Stacy has the rare mutation (CDH1) that only occurs in 1 of every 9 million people.
Ultimately Stacy made the decision to get her stomach removed.
But, how do you survive without a stomach?
Well, in part, you eat often.
Stacy needs to eat small amounts frequently, so she started creating her own healthy snacks that were unique in flavor and easy to carry throughout the day.
She dubbed her company Seahorse Snacks, because seahorses don’t have stomachs.
“Part of the reason that November is Stomach Cancer Awareness Month is because family traditions celebrating Thanksgiving revolve around eating,” Stacy said, adding that it’s a chance for people to talk about their hereditary dispositions. “Nobody wants to talk about this but … genetic testing is what saved my life.”
The Chattanooga-owned business offers uniquely flavored nuts for any holiday occasion + a unique founder story.
About Seahorse Snacks
* The flavored nuts are good sources of protein.
* Unique, unusual flavors don’t get boring.
* There are currently four products available — Chili Turmrific Almonds; Chili Turmrific Cashews; Chili Turmrific Pistachios; and Maple Chaitastic Pecans.
Stacy says, “Seahorse Snacks make excellent gifts. Let someone know you're nuts about them with Maple Chaitastic Pecans. They are our 'better for you' version of a candied pecan. Our customers say they taste like Christmas and are this season's best seller.”
The snacks are also a way for Stacy to share her story, connect with other seahorses and raise awareness about stomach-related conditions.
For more information, go to https://seahorsesnacks.com