Word of Mouth Marketing in Action

Our gowns are perfect for any hospitalization, but we always get rave reviews from customers who wore them after orthopedic surgery. When you have back, hip, sholder, arm, or knee surgery....it is so nice and convienient to have your own designer hospital gown to wear in the hospital, at home, and even in rehab facilities. Getting back into your clothes is challenging wtih bulky dressings and orthopedic braces. 

We wanted to share with you a story about one of our favorite women, who happens to be our mother Susan's best friend, Joyce. Joyce has been one of the biggest supporters of Annie & Isabel hospital gowns from day one. She has kept all of her friends wrapped in Annie & Isabel love when in they are in the hospital and now her turn came with a total knee replacement.  

Joyce is wearing the "Annie" hospital gown and our original "Susan" zebra print, which is now sadly retired. We replaced our Susan gown with a just-as-fun leopard print Susan. 

Joyce looks pretty amazing for just having surgery hours before her first stroll down the hall! We were so happy to see these pictures pop up on Facebook. We have to share what Joyce said said when we commented on how fabulous she looks, 

"Everyone loves the gowns. I brought info and cannot find the brochure. Darn. I'm yelling through the halls....Annie and Isabel dot com!!!!"

Now, THAT is word of mouth marketing....Love you Joyce!!!

Designer Hospital Gown Helps Teen Feel Special

We love when we hear how Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns made a difference in a hospital stay, especially a teenager.  We are honored to share a few pictures of Lexie, who recently wore our "Annie" gown for surgery. Here is what her mother had to say about her experience, 

"My daughter had surgery yesterday and we love the gown, not to mention all the nurses do too. We really like the snap shoulder closure as it makes it easy to change with the IV line. Thank you so much for designing a cute hospital gown. Having her own gown made her feel special."

Our Ernest Designer Men's Hospital Gown

Our Ernest Designer Hospital Gown is one of three men's hospital gowns that we feature in our store. The "Ernie" Gown is named after our beloved grandfather and here is his story and the story behind the gown:

Our grandpa Ernie was a man's man. A welder by trade....whatever was broken, our grandpa could fix. He served his country with pride, but we remember our hero from his later days when we sat on his lap. A man with nine lives, he was a survivor extraordinaire....with stories to tell wide eyed grandchildren....of typhoons at sea, motorcycle accidents, falls from tall ladders, the loss of a thumb, and a heart attack or two. 

Our wishes for all those who wear this hospital gown are the gifts that our grandpa Ernie enjoyed....resilience, optimism and a good bit of luck. 

http://www.annieandisabel.com/the-ernie/

http://www.annieandisabel.com/the-ernie/

You can purchase this gown as well as all of our hospital gowns at http://www.annieandisabel.com/shop/

Sara Delivers In Style with Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gowns

Sara and I have been friends since the very first day of nursing school when we were immediately drawn to one another over identical outfits - corduroy overalls and Doc Martens. Not sure what we were thinking, but maybe we were in style in 1995? We both were alone in a new city and together we made San Francisco home. 

We laughed and definitely cried a few tears during our 4 years together at the University of San Francisco. We are convinced we would not have survived anatomy, physiology, micro, organic chem {that was a close one}, and countless clinical hours in the hospital without each other. We still crack up at our 19 year old selves so shyly knocking on our first patients door at clinical...{knock knock}..."Mr. Smith.....oh, Mr. Smith.... {knock knock} are you awake? can we come in?" Poor Mr. Smith... I can't imagine how long it took for us both to fumble through his vital signs. 

Sara will forever be my soul sister. Now that she lives over 2,500 miles away on Kauai, Hawaii and I miss her every single day. When my first son George was born, Sara was living in LA and working as a neonatal ICU nurse. The first real contraction I felt, I called her...my on call RN. I never thought she would make it, but a security escort through LAX and the last flight of the night later...she was there for me. Shortly after George's birth, Sara moved to Hawaii and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. 

Sara is now the mother of three beautiful boys. I was so sad to not be able to hop on a quick flight and be there for her when her turn came around. It was really special to have Sara sporting Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns for the birth of her sons Keoni and Duke. In a strange way, I felt as if I was a small part of her big day. We are honored that she chose to wear the Anita and Susan gowns. She labored and delivered in our Anita designer hospital gown. She then recovered in our Susan designer hospital gown. 

"I absolutely LOVED wearing my Susan and Anita gowns when my second son was born. It's typically not a time when you feel like you're looking your best, but the gowns made all the difference. They were comfortable AND cute. Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns are a must for every expectant mother's hospital bag or anyone headed to the hospital. I also really loved the stories behind the gown's name and they definitely touched my heart when I read them. It made wearing my gowns all the more special. Thank you A&I!"

Here is a really great picture of how much coverage you have in an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown! Because we are nurses, we know that your gown has tie on the side. No need to fuss with ties or snaps that you can't reach that leave exposing gaps. We always hear from customers that they felt covered and dignified in our hospital gowns. You don't even need a robe or the typical second hospital gown for you backside!

*The zebra print "Susan" gown is no longer available. We have replaced it with our NEW SUSAN! 

Daughter Donates Life Saving Kidney to Her Father

We are so happy to share with you the story of Stephanie and her father Dino. We believe that this may be our first story in which an Annie and Isabel gown was worn by an organ donor and a recipient. We love to share incredible stories like this, especially when dignity, comfort, and style were not spared in a hospital!  

In 2014, when Stephanie learned of her father Dino's worsening kidney failure and need for a transplant, she knew that she would be tested as a potential donor. After suffering from chronic back pain for many years, and taking high doses of Ibuprofen, Dino learned that his kidneys were shutting down. His only options moving forward were dependence on dialysis or a kidney transplant. The average person waits seven years for a deceased kidney donor and Dino would surely face dialysis before a kidney would become available. That is when Stephanie stepped in to see if she would be a match for the father that she loves so much. Like father, like daughter ~ she was a perfect match!

"There wasn't a doubt in my mind that if I was a match I would donate to my dad. He and my mom have done everything to provide for me, my sisters, and our children (their grandchildren). This was the least I could do for him and honestly, I want him around and healthy for my children, niece and nephews. How often do you get the chance to give the gift of life to someone that did the same for you? I was honored to be there for my dad like he has always been there for me. "

We asked Stephanie what surgery was like to be a living donor and give an organ to someone else. She said: 

"I had never had surgery before so I really didn't know what to expect. I was full of nerves and anticipation right before, but I knew I was in good hands with the doctors, nurses, and staff at UCSF hospital. The actual surgery was a bit surreal. They get you ready and wheel you into the operating room and before you know it you are being wheeled out and surgery is done. Overall, the recovery has been fine. Right after surgery the biggest thing they want you to do is get up and start walking. I walked around the floor multiple times a day with my dad in our Annie & Isabel hospital gowns."

It has been three months since the transplant and we asked how she and her dad are feeling today.  

"For me, it took me about six weeks to feel back to normal. My dad now has his energy back and we have been amazed at how my kidney has made him feel so much better. From the moment he was wheeled out of surgery, we knew the kidney was working. His cheeks had color and he looked better right away. He is currently on anti-rejection medications so his body continues to accept my kidney. He is adjusting to their side effects, but overall he is doing great! We are both so lucky everything went so well."

Lastly, we had to ask if Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns made a difference during their hospital stay.  

"After surgery, my body didn't feel like my own. Having items like my favorite face wash and lotion, cute slippers and my A& I gowns helped me just feel better. I actually used the A&I gowns that I had worn for the deliveries of two of my children, so it was great to wear them again and it brought back nice memories. What was so cool was that my dad got to wear one of the first A&I men's gowns too! He loved his camouflage hospital gown. It was fun for us during recovery to get together and walk around the floor in our A&I gowns. Everyone would compliment us and we definitely made an impression in our designer gowns.

 I truly believe that when you psychologically feel better it helps you to physically feel better."

We are truly honored to share this beautiful story of Stephanie and Dino. If you would like to share your experience wearing Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns please email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com. 

The Story of Jasen and Lisa ~ Part 1 :: Open Heart Surgery

This testimonial is extremely overdue, but we are thrilled to share one of our very first men's hospital gown testimonials. Our men's gown was born in 2012 (yikes)....but, it took us a few years to actually launch our entire line. Back then, we had heard of Jasen's upcoming surgery at Stanford and asked his wife Lisa if they would be up for giving our "David" men's hospital gown a real life whirl in the hospital. We are happy to report that Jasen had succesful heart surgery and the gown was a hit! 

Below is what Lisa had to say about Jasen's experience in Annie & Isabel, 

"I'm happy to report we are back home and Jasen's surgery was a great success! He is healing and on the road to recovery. Thank you so much for the gown. It was AMAZING and everyone on the floor asked about it! He was quite the talk of the floor with the Annie & Isabel gown and I was sure to talk up the brand every time. I kept the hang tag in the room and showed everyone who asked! PR is my profession, you know....LOL. The nurses were especially impressed with the pockets and the telemetry pocket on the front. 

One of the things Jasen loved most about the gown was the fabric. Stanford's issued gowns are a polyester blend and are quite soft - almost flannel feeling - but they do not breathe and can be very hot. Also, the snap closure at the shoulders is wonderful in your gown. Before Jasen was able to change into the Annie & Isabel gown, the standard issue gown kept falling off his shoulder (it has a tie at the shoulder) and just looked awful. I went to great lengths during his stay to make sure Jasen didn't "look" like an ill patient, making sure he was bathed, smelling good and clean and the gown was not helping. It was hanging off his shoulder a lot since they were adjusting the IV's etc. We had him change into your gown right after he left the ICU and he immediately commented on how good it felt. It was comfortable and felt so nice against his skin. 

Thank you doesn't seem like enough...I've attached a photo of Jasen in the gown. In the photo he is almost "unplugged" from his numerous IV's and is sitting in a chair. The gown was plenty long to cover him."

~Lisa

What is most incredible is that Jasen and Lisa will soon be welcoming their first child...you guessed it....in Annie & Isabel! Stay tuned for Part 2 of their story! 

2 Year Old Receiving Life Saving Kidney Transplant from Mother Today

We need all your good thoughts and prayers sent to a family who is desperately trying to save the life of their sweet 2 year old daughter, Eloise.

At the age of six months, Eloise was diagnosed with a kidney disease which eventually permanently damages the kidneys. She has already had her kidneys removed and today, she is receiving a kidney transplant from her mother. Her mother was the perfect match to be her daughter's donor....how amazing is that?

Eloise with Mom

Eloise is already a miracle baby. Her parents never thought they would be able to have children as Eloise's father, Nick, had testicular cancer when he was in his twenties.  They defied the odds and became pregnant naturally and welcomed Eloise into the world in December of 2012. We are pretty sure they are all going to beat the odds again with this transplant today!

Eloise Loves Her Daddy

How did Annie & Isabel come into the picture? Eloise is being taken care of at UC Davis Medical Center. The sweet nurses who have taken care of Eloise went in together and purchased Eloise's mother, Kristin, an Annie & Isabel hospital gown for the big day today. Watch this emotional video as they gift Kristin the "Evelyn" hospital gown:

So....let's all come together and send this family the best wishes for a successful transplant and speedy recovery. Both Kristen and Eloise are going to need good thoughts sent their way.

We would love if you do the following:

1. Go to our Facebook post and "LIKE" it. This will help spread their story but more importantly will help them feel surrounded in love. As we always say, each "Like" is like a big hug!

2. Please COMMENT on our Facebook post and leave messages to help them remain strong through this process as they recover in the hospital.

THANK YOU for always helping to bring cheer to our Annie & Isabel warriors. You are the best!!

Lastly, we would also like to mention the importance of becoming an organ donor and hope you might consider registering to be an organ donor. We encourage you to visit Donate Life's website and educate yourself about organ donation. More than 123,000 men, women and children are waiting for organ donations. You can register on the site and you can limit your gift of any organ or tissue you do not want to donate and can exclude use for research. Take the decision and stress away from your family, and make your wishes be known. Become an organ donor today.