BOISE COUNTY, Idaho — Life can be like a flying flag.
Sometimes it's calm and quiet, but then there are unexpected winds blowing chaos and unpredictability.
That was what Jennifer Barner experienced in 2019.
"My daughter was diagnosed in 2019, with an aggressive form of Leukemia," Barner said.
Barner said her daughter had a 10 percent chance of survival, but signed cards, a jersey and helmet kept her daughter going.
"She treasured every one of those trinkets, every one of those things," she said.
In the midst of that struggle, more chaos came after their house burned down.
They lost everything, but the calm came after unwavering support from first responders.
Barner got a job as a Boise County Dispatcher and after all of the love and support during that time, she wanted to give back in a meaningful way.
"I can't do much for them, I can't say thank you enough, so my way of saying thank you was to send flags out and show support for that family," she said.
Barner is the founder of United by Heroes. She buys flags for those who died in the line of duty.
"You can't bring their son or their daughter back, you know that you can't take away that the pain, the pain that they're receiving, or that they're going through," she said. "You can't take that hurt away from them, but you can give them your love. You can give them that compassion, and let them know that they're not alone and there are people that love them and support them and are willing to make sure that their family member doesn't, their life doesn't get lost in vain, and their memory will continue on."
Barner said she reaches out to the departments who lost one of their own. It can be firefighters, police, sheriff deputies, military, EMS, dispatch and corrections officers.
Out of her own pocket, she buys a flag, sends it to departments all over the United States with a description of the person who died.
After coordinating the handoffs, she meets with the family who lost their loved one and gives the signed flags and any coins, letters, or patches that come along the way.
"They're so thankful that someone is willing to take the time to honor their family member," she said.
She said having signed memorabilia helped her daughter when she was going through a hard time and the reaction from families proves it does the same for them.
"One family wondered why someone from so far away would be willing to take the time to honor their family and knowing that there's people that would be willing to support them, just gave them hope and help to heal," she said.
Most recently, one death hit close to home. It came after Ada County Sheriff Deputy Tobin Bolter died in the line of duty this year.
His flag is currently traveling the state. Idaho State Police signed it, it's going to Valley County, then headed north.
"I know for me, it fills my cup, but I know that the families are going through so much more." she said. "They've lost a loved one. They're not going to see that family member anymore and knowing what they went through or knowing that they were there to protect and serve or that they gave back to their community and they lost their life doing it. I think this is a way of showing them that there are people that love them, and that they're thankful for that, that family members sacrifice."
All of this comes out of her pocket. She is working on making this become a non-profit so she can do more.
She has had flags in Alaska, Hawaii and across the United States.
She said through this, it's allowed her to help families connect which helps them find support.