Well hello!
I’m Travis Hempstead, creator and owner of 11:11 Event Co. I’ve been in the wedding industry for 12+ years. I got my start in the industry as a DJ and have had the amazing opportunity to be a part of 500+ weddings and events over the years in that role alone!
I’ve played many roles throughout my time in the industry, mostly as a DJ, but also have over 5 years of experience in the decor industry, 2 years of experience as a Wedding “Day Of” Coordinator and Venue Manager, and even had a hand in creating some wedding cakes throughout those years! (Creating wedding cakes is WAY more stressful than eating them!) With all these roles combined, I’ve been a part of 1000+ events over the last 11 years!! I know, it’s just as crazy for me to even write that…insane to even think about!
I have 3 girls, Macee, Harper, and Brielle. My girls are involved in both competition dance and gymnastics doing what they LOVE! As you can imagine, I have a dedicated calendar full of reminders for their schedules and an amazing circle of people ready to help out whenever needed!
“Why 11:11 Event Co.?”
That’s a question I get often. As many people can relate, it’s something they see from time to time and it may be something fun they point out to each other. To others, it’s an angel number, a sign that someone is with you in spirit at that time, or a guiding sign to trust your path. For others, like myself, it’s all of those things and holds a significant meaning in my life path.
In 2017 my wife Erika was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. After extensive radiation and chemo treatments she went into remission. In November 2019 the cancer had come back as Stage 4 metastatic. The news and options at that time were scary. This is where 11:11 started to play a much larger role than just something fun we pointed out to each other. In a time of such uncertainty and fear, it became a guiding sign. We would see it more and more as we searched for answers and options. It acted as an affirmation now, one full of hope and positivity that what we were doing was the right path for us. That landed us in AZ at an Integrative Oncology center called Envita. 4 months later she was back into remission!
When creating the business, naturally, I had to go with 11:11 Event Co. It felt right and it meant something. Not only did that lead us to a positive outcome, it also played a role in so many other aspects of our life, and continues to do so today. In October 2021 Erika’s cancer returned, again as Stage 4 with mets to the spine, lungs, and lymph nodes in her neck. In December we went back to Envita for further treatments and she returned home 6 months later in June 2022 with just a tiny spot we were watching in her lung. At the end of July, a trip to the ER for chest pain revealed a large lesion in her upper right lung, lesions with compression fractures to her spine at T6 and T10, and some activity showing on her brain. We went on a mission to fight with everything we could and left no option off the table. With visits to specialists and clinics in both Philadelphia and Houston in August and September, our options became less and less. Unfortunately, on September 29th, 2022, that battle came to an end. The cancer had taken over her lungs and esophagus and she couldn’t sustain it. She fought with everything she had and was the absolute strongest woman you could ever meet, and was hands down best role model for our girls!
Her dream was to help others through their journey in every way she could, through resources, education, and inspiration. She did just that for SO many along the way! Because of her, I’ve created The Erika’s Journey Foundation, an official Iowa non-profit organization that will carry on her legacy by helping others in their health journey. We’ll be putting her 6 years of intense relentless research and personal experience into a resource that WILL help so many more in the future! A website is under construction and the funds are slowly adding up through donations being received. With the support from followers of Erika’s Journey and opportunities allowed through this business, we can keep going in the direction we are for cancer research and treatments. This business is the sole support system for our family and a major support system for The Erika’s Journey Foundation. SO, from my family, THANK YOU for helping to support us and so many others along this journey with us. Sincerely, we appreciate you.
At the moment, you can follow along with the progression of The Foundation and help support through our Facebook page “Erika’s Journey”! If you’d like to donate to The Erika’s Journey Foundation, we are currently accepting donations through Venmo @Erikas-Journey-11 (Verification code 4154). You can also reach out through the “Contact Us” form on this website or through the Facebook page to find out how you can help and also to donate in another way.
