At the age of twenty Leah Humphries was diagnosed with Crohn's disease; two years later she underwent colon surgery. Why me? was her constant thought. As an art student she had always pictured herself as a free spirit and a creative soul who experienced only the beauty in life. Now Leah had to face the world with an ileostomy.
Approximately 750,000 to one-million individuals in North America have an ostomy- a surgically created opening in the body for the discharge of body wastes- according to the Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. Cancer, according to the Coloplast Group, is the disease that accounts for nearly 80% of all ostomy surgeries.
Humphries’ parents, both professionals, helped her to face the diet limitations and the adjustment of wearing an appliance. However, she was resolute in not wanting people to know. Humphries’ ostomy became her secret. She was no longer willing to take chances. Gone was the young woman who enjoyed horseback riding, swimming in the crisp Lake water, snow skiing and enjoying the night life, flirting and dancing until sunrise.
According to Humphries, “sexuality is part of who we are as women; it makes us feel strong and feminine. To recapture my inner strength and creativity I decided to be honest about my body and spirit. My new resolution was to love myself and be grateful for the surgery that had changed my life. To do this I needed to feel feminine again. That meant designing lingerie for myself and women like me.”
Humphries, President of My Heart Ties, http://www.myheartties.com/,
designed the lingerie for women with ostomies to regain their strength, freedom and femininity. Therefore, she designed the coverlet to be beautiful, comfortable, easy to use and secure.
The material of My Heart Ties Coverlets is strongly reinforced and features a unique fastening to secure the cover to any appliance with a flange. Each coverlet is hand sewn and finished by a team of talented and dedicated women in the United States.
Humphries had an excellent product and support materials but now needed the assistance from the Gannon SBDC to market her unique new product. Gannon SBDC Manager Steve Overholt had been working with Humphries on the business matters and he referred her to Gannon SBDC Marketing Consultant Jane Horetsky for marketing assistance. A Gannon University student, who wrote for the school newspaper, was able to put together a release and do market research on ostomies that could be listed on their website.
Horetsky was able to get in touch with the local newspaper’s women supplement where Humphries will be featured in their “Dreaming Big” August issue. Also, Horetsky is working to secure a Sunday morning interview show locally where Humphries and her company would be featured.
My Heart Ties dream of sharing her product to make women’s lives more viable and to allow them to regain their dignity is slowly coming to fruition with the help of the Gannon SBDC and the community outreach. |
