Simply put, being a cancer patient in the hospital stinks. Not only are you sick, but hospitals are cold, sterile places, and doctors and nurses are routinely jabbing sharp objects into your skin.
Pennsylvania-based cancer survivor Greg Hamilton knows exactly what it’s like to be in that position. As Yahoo! Finance reports, during his chemotherapy treatments, nurses would require him to partially disrobe in order to gain access the infusion sites on his chest and forearms — leaving him cold and uncomfortable.
“Not only was this humiliating,” he said, but “it also added to the pre-existing anxiety related to battling cancer.”
He and his wife, Ellen, searched for clothing that would be more comfortable for chemo, but found nothing.
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That’s when they decided to create their own jacket: The Chemo Cozy.
“Running, biking, hiking. Every activity has got clothing or apparel…just for that activity to make their experience better,” Greg says in the video below. “Why not people fighting for their lives? They should have something.”
What’s great about the jacket is that it looks like a completely normal piece of clothing — but it’s got so much more up its sleeve, including zippers that open up so medical personnel can access IV and PICC lines.
“We have something that works for people going through some of the worst times of their life,” Greg adds in the video. “And if we can do something just to make them feel a little bit better, and a little more special, and a little more normal then that’s our goal.”
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Looks like they’re much closer to making that goal a reality. Last October, the couple completed a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $10,000 more than their original $20,000 goal. They also recently stopped by CNBC’s Power Pitch to solicit interest their product. (Spoiler-alert: They successfully caught host Mandy Drury’s.)
The jackets, which cost $54 each, can be purchased at chemocozy.com and in select medical boutiques. To make the article of clothing even more affordable, the Hamiltons are going through the application process with Medicare and Medicaid to make it eligible for reimbursement as a non-medical device. They also plan to add more products to their brand, including clothing for children and for dialysis patients.
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