It Always Feels Impossible...Until You Do It!

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When I was 5 years old, paralytic polio was not part of the life I had imagined for myself. In the early 1950’s, thousands of children in the US were stricken with polio. Two of my playmates who lived in my neighbor also contracted the disease…but, I was the lucky one…I didn’t end up in an iron lung. 

One of the biggest challenges I faced throughout my childhood was not having the proper adaptive equipment to help me independently perform many of my daily living tasks. My right arm was partially paralyzed so daily life tasks often required caregiver intervention.

Fast forward 50 years.  After working in the Physical and Occupational Therapy professions for over 25 years, where I had the pleasure of working with hundreds of patients who needed specific products and equipment to successfully manage their daily life tasks, I decided to embark on an entrepreneurial journey and invent a product that would hopefully solve a specific need. 

This journey began by watching, listening and understanding the need of the patient. Not just one patient, but a cross-section of the many children and adults who would stand to benefit from having a product that would address this particular activity of daily living (ADL) need. 

The connections I built with healthcare professionals and care providers around the world—those specializing in the treatment and recovery of neurological conditions—inspired and challenged me to push forward in creating an innovative, world-first AFO and shoe donning aid. 

Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I learned to create innovative solutions to challenging tasks that I faced each day due to my “different ability” (I never labeled myself as disabled). Since I only had the partial use of one arm to complete many tasks, I relied upon my parents to help me successfully complete my daily living activities like dressing, curling my hair, cutting food, etc. Over the years, I created an arsenal of “you can do it” tips that I would use later in life when I became an Occupational Therapist and began treating patients who needed “just a little bit more help” like I did so many years ago.

During my 25+ years in the rehabilitation field working with patients with varied abilities, I was particularly drawn to a young adult patient who had a stroke that resulted in hemiplegia … his right arm and right leg were paralyzed. He learned how to dress his upper and lower body using only one arm but he was dependent upon someone to help him put on the ankle brace and shoe he needed to wear in order to safely stand and walk. He lived alone and was worried that he would not be able to return to work because he didn’t have a care partner to help him nor did he have the funds to hire one. 

During our first treatment session, he posed this question:  Aren’t Occupational Therapists trained to create solutions that help patients manage the tasks they face every day? Okay … there it was ... the BIG ASK! He wasn’t the first patient I worked with that had this dressing problem, but he was the first that challenged me to do something about it! There were many products on the market to help a patient complete particular dressing tasks using only one arm, but, sadly, there were no products that could help him easily and independently put on his AFO and shoe.  He threw down the gauntlet! Was I prepared to pick it up? 

My husband, an engineer, and I worked together that evening to come up with a product design that could be used to hold an AFO in a stable position to allow for independent donning using only one hand. With some minor adjustments made to a carpenter’s mitre box that we had in our garage, I was excited to trial this first prototype with my patient the next day during our treatment session.

When my patient arrived, he watched me demonstrate for him how to use the leg lifter to lift my leg into the AFO that was positioned in the mitre box. When it was his turn, I started to get tears in my eyes as he successfully completed the task independently on his first trial! We then worked together to learn how to slide his foot into his shoe. 

However, this particular part of the dressing task created yet another challenge that would need to be solved. 

When you’re wearing an AFO, your ankle is in a “fixed” position so you can’t rotate the ankle to slide into the shoe!  (Yes, today there are shoes on the market that have a non-collapsible heel, but 12 years ago, they didn’t exist!)

The design of a new prototype which involved holding both the AFO and the shoe in a stable position during the donning process evolved over many months.  I needed to design a special shoe platform that was tilted at a 45 degree angle to allow the person to slide the foot into the shoe without rotating the ankle. My educational background in physics and kinesiology paid off! That design idea was the perfect solution to allow the foot (with the AFO on) to easily slide into the shoe.

Back “in the day”, I know we’ve all experienced the problem of having to slide our finger into the back of our shoe to adjust the heel that had collapsed during the donning process. And, when you’re wearing an AFO, the width of the shoe can’t accommodate for all the friction that’s applied as you slide your foot into the shoe.      

I reached out to the inventor of the FootFunnel®.  This innovative adaptive aid slips onto the back of the shoe to facilitate effortless shoe donning. Insightful® Products manufactures the FootFunnel® (now called Funnel® for the Shoe) and I include it with “The Original AFO Assist®”.  

This isn’t where my story ends—it’s what drives me to keep creating, keep helping, and keep making a real difference in someone’s life. After all, it always seems impossible… until you do it. 

THE PROBLEM: When a Simple Task Feels Overwhelming

For children and adults who wear AFOs (Ankle Foot Orthoses), getting dressed isn’t just part of a morning routine...it can be the most frustrating and time-consuming part of the day. 

For those of us striving to live more independently, relying on someone else for such a basic daily task can feel limiting.

A RELATABLE MOMENT: The Drive for Independence

I recently met a high school senior who was just accepted into college. Like many students, he was excited about living on campus, making new friends, and fully experiencing college life.

But there was one major concern holding him back.

He had been wearing AFOs for 18 years due to cerebral palsy, and every day, his mom helped him put on his braces and shoes. When doing this task himself, the process could take nearly an hour. 

His question was simple...but powerful. “How can I do this more quickly and independently? I can’t be late for class.” 

This isn’t just about getting dressed. It’s about self-esteem, confidence, and dignity.

THE SOLUTION: Regain Independence with “The Original AFO Assist®”

That’s where “The Original AFO Assist®” comes in.

Designed by an Occupational Therapist, this innovative adaptive dressing aid was created specifically to simplify donning AFOs and shoes.

With its user friendly design, it holds the AFO and the shoe in the best ergonomic position to facilitate independent donning.

What once felt like a daily struggle can now become a quick, manageable part of the dressing routine.

Watch our video at https://www.AFOassist to see how the college student regained his dressing independence.

Kids who wear AFOs don’t want to feel like they stand out because of their braces—they want to stand out because they look and feel confident. When they put on Lairos socks, something shifts. Instead of focusing on what makes them different, they see something that looks cool, fun, and totally their style. It turns their braces into part of their look, not something to hide. And when kids feel like they look good, they carry themselves differently—proud of their abilities, confident in their steps, and ready to show the world exactly what they can do.