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Essex native credited with innovative device
ESSEX - An Essex native has earned international recognition for a unique invention she created to ease the recovery process of mastectomy patients.
Lisa Crites, who currently resides in Cocoa Beach, Fla, is a Media Strategist & Broadcast Healthcare Journalist who learned firsthand the need for a device that would enable patients who had undergone mastectomy surgery, a safe way to shower without contaminating surgical drain sites which remain in place after hospital discharge.
Following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2009 and subsequent surgeries, Crites came up with a solution -- "The SHOWER SHIRT®" -- a patented device that recently earned her a second place award in the 2015 U.S. Small Business Association's Innovate HER Challenge, as well as an international 'Patient Innovation' Award from the University of Portugal School of Business and Economics; an accolade which will take her to Lisbon, Portugal this summer for the award ceremonies.
The InnovateHER award was presented recently in Washington, D.C. and sponsored by Microsoft. The Small Business Administration (SBA) launched the national competition for entrepreneurs who develop products and services that enhance the lives of women and their families.
At the time Crites underwent a bilateral mastectomy in the spring of 2009, the only recommended method of showering once a patient was back in a home setting for recovery, was to drape a garbage bag over the affected area and hope the area where the post-surgical drains were located did not get wet.
Essentially, mastectomy drain sites penetrate the skin creating an avenue for water-borne bacteria to enter surgery sites, increasing the chances of dangerous surgical site infections.
"I was thoroughly insulted by being wrapped in a plastic trash bag while trying to shower," said Crites.
"Women had been going through mastectomy surgery for 70 years in this country alone; I could not understand why a water-resistant product did not exist. With that, I quickly realized there was a need for this type of product to not only support mastectomy patients in this country, but around the world." she added.
After facing the shower challenge herself after surgery, she went to work designing something she could wear in the shower while not posing that threat of infection.
Crites authored an online blog that chronicled not only her multiple surgeries, but her post-surgery challenges, one of which was the need for a device to wear that met the unique needs of a mastectomy patient. With the help and advice of friends and family, the end result was the "Shower Shirt," a device engineered to accommodate women of all sizes and shapes.
The debut of what would come to be thousands of women's best friends following a mastectomy appeared on a paper napkin while Crites ate dinner out one evening while still somewhat recovering from her procedures.
"I had an extremely basic idea for the design," she recalled, "and knew I wanted to create a quality product with a type of water-resistant parachute material. I also knew the chest area had to be created with sensitivity to the drain regions, but otherwise, I had not thought through the overall creative work of the design."
In that initial sketch, Crites included all of the "bells and whistles," needed to protect the surgical sites. The design included an elastic perimeter to accommodate all sizes of women, and a neck design that prohibited moisture to the surgical drains and wound sites.
Key to Crites was to make a product that was affordable. When a U.S. manufacturer suggested a retail price of $200, she settled on the M Garment Company in Guangzhou, China. The company has been producing the shirts since 2010, and they sell for $75. The product is available in three sizes and in black or white.
"My goal all along has been to make other women feel better after the physical trauma of having their breasts amputated," explained Crites. "It stands to reason if a patient feels better physically, they will feel better emotionally, something that's severely needed after breast cancer and mastectomy surgery."
The shirt is available at more than 70 mastectomy boutiques and hospitable based Home Medical Equipment locations across the U.S.; became available through Walmart.com in 2011 and through Amazon in 2014. Crites explained the fact that under 4,000 Shower Shirts have been sold is largely because Medicare doesn't cover the cost for patients. While prosthesis and mastectomy bras fall under the Medicare domain, the Shower Shirt still does not. Efforts are underway with the Post-Mastectomy Infection Reduction Act legislation filed by US Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL), and US Congressman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL).
Small Business Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet praised the insight of Crites and other winners of the InnovatedHER Business Challenge, stating, "We salute these innovative winners for their remarkable ingenuity and creativity. We receive so many thoughtful business ideas; it was difficult to select the top three winners. This is how dreams are made for entrepreneurs across the country, with their insightful, practical solutions that will impact the economic strength of our nation."
The Shower Shirt™ is also being used by dialysis patients; central line and infusion pump patients, abdominal hernia, chemo, lung and cardiac surgery, ostomy, and rotator cuff patients who also need to protect surgery drains, ports and catheters. The device has been shipped to patients in Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and Austria.
For more information on The SHOWER SHIRT®, go to www.theshowershirt.com.