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. 

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. 

Inspiring Teenager Smiles Through Her Challenges ~ The Story of Ellie

In December of this last year we received an email from Erin, who is the mother of a 17 year old daughter named Ellie. Ellie was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor when she was younger and has had many complications. In the last year alone, she has endured 13 brain surgeries. She also had surgery to her back due to a mass which left her with a paralyzed leg. She has spent far too many days in the hospital. Throughout all of this, her mother explained that Ellie has always kept a positive attitude and can mostly be found with a big, beautiful smile on her face.

Ellie with her mother

The reason Erin was writing to us was because Ellie had found our website and had been saving up to purchase one of our hospital gowns. Erin hoped that we might make her a part of our "Feel Better Campaign" as she was not yet able to purchase one of our hospital gowns, and she knew this would brighten her daughter's time in the hospital. At the time of her email to us, Ellie was hospitalized and about to undergo more surgery.

We couldn't think of a better person to receive one of our "Feel Better" hospital gowns to, so it was an easy decision for us. We sent her our "Annie" designer hospital gown and a few days later we received another email from Ellie's mother that made us both cry. The email contained step by step pictures of Ellie opening the hospital gown that we sent to her. Looking at the pictures made us feel like we were right there with her as she was opening up our gift...... and it was powerful! You can see for yourself in this short Flipagram video:



We have always known our hospital gowns can make a big difference in the life of anyone that has to spend time in the hospital and Ellie confirmed this, once again, for us. She is yet another reminder of why we started this business and why we continue to move forward with Annie & Isabel.

Ellie in her "Annie" hospital gown

After Ellie received her "Annie" hospital gown she wrote us a very nice thank you note and we have included some of that here so you can see what a sweet, thoughtful person she is:

"Most teenagers are worried about how perfect their hair and make-up look, or which party they will attend over the weekend. For me, it's a little different. I just want my hair to grow back completely so I can do different things to it. Forget weekend parties, I just pray to stay out of the hospital for the weekend. You see, in the last year or so I've had over 13 brain surgeries, 55+ spinal taps, at least 15 hospital admissions, countless nights in the PICU, and several ER visits & ambulance rides. I've been diagnosed with multiple serious chronic illnesses throughout the last few years. As a teenager it's been hard spending more time in the hospital then at home. Nurses and doctors are more of my friends than people my own age. But it's also taught me so much. I can't wait for the day when I'm able to attend college and follow my dream of becoming a pediatric oncology nurse. My passion is helping people and I love volunteering in any way possible when my health allows me. I frequently have surgeries or am in the hospital for extended stays. I try personalizing my room and bed up a bit, but to have a gown of my own just means so much! Anna & Selena, thank you SO, SO much for choosing me as your feel better campaign recipient. I truly an so honored, and grateful to be part of something so amazing. I can't thank you enough for the smiles and the happy tears you have brought to me at such a hard time. You are both wonderful people with amazing personalities and I just really can't put into words how much all of this means to me!!! Thank you, truly thank you!! ~ Ellie" 

We gave Ellie a small gift, but the truth is, she has given us a much greater gift. She has shown us how to stay positive in the face of so many obstacles, to live life to the fullest, and to always dream big. We are the ones honored to have Ellie as a "Feel Better Campaign" recipient and we can't thank Ellie and her mother enough for reaching out to us. Ellie's fighting spirit, huge heart, and positive attitude have touched us deeply.

Now we need YOUR help! Ellie has recently been re-admitted to the hospital and could use some good thoughts and prayers.

We would love if you could write some words of encouragement on our Facebook post as Ellie follows along. Ellie is always one to smile, even when she is feeling down, but let's help make that smile much bigger by letting her know there are people thinking about her! It just takes two easy steps:

1. "LIKE" our Facebook post because we feel like each LIKE is the same as giving sweet Ellie a nice big hug!

2. COMMENT on our Facebook post so she can read each message and feel the love and support surrounding her.

You all have always pulled through for our Annie & Isabel warriors so I can't wait to see us all do it again and imagine Ellie smiling with each message! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts (and Ellie's too).

#LoveForLawson :: We Need Your Help {Our latest Feel Better Campaign Recipient}

Annie & Isabel is so much more than a designer hospital gown company. Our hospital gowns are often purchased as special gifts for people fighting tough diagnoses or dealing with unfortunate circumstances and, because of this, we have inevitably met some very special and brave people along the way. We feel truly honored that people take the time to read our posts and think of our company when they are trying to figure out what to do for someone in need. If you are reading this post, chances are you have been here before and we thank you. This is a place where we often share stories of warriors who have worn or are wearing our gowns and call for an outpouring of thoughts and prayers. Time and time again, you have all truly shown us the good in this world with your support for a stranger in need. The thoughtfulness is beyond measure and that, our dear friends, is why Annie & Isabel has been such a special thing that we hold close to our hearts. We are here once again, in a time of need, to ask for your help. 

This is Meghan. She is a mother, a wife to Ryan, a photographer, and now an Annie & Isabel warrior.  Meghan is actually you. She is the one who loyally reads our posts and answers our calls for help. She shares our posts on Facebook and sends healing thoughts to warriors who have come before her. Meghan is a kind and caring woman and we are so excited to say she is about to welcome her fourth son, Lawson!  This unborn child, however, needs a swarm of good thoughts and prayers for the fight he will have when he is born and that is where we hope you will all come in.

Meghan is the mother of 3 beautiful sons, Colton 16, Dylan 8, and Gavin 7. When we saw on Instagram that she was expecting her fouth boy, we were so so so excited for her. As we both know so well, brothers are magical and a fourth boy is pretty special. We recently noticed Meghan posting about "#LoveforLawson" and were saddened to learn that baby Lawson is up against quite a battle as soon as he is born. Meghan shared with us that baby Lawson has a congenital heart defect called Hydroplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), which means Lawson has half a heart. Lawson will have his first open heart surgery within days of his birth and Meghan and her husband Ryan were told that he has a 60% chance of surviving this first sugery. He will then have another surgery around 6 months, a surgery as a toddler, and ultimately will need a heart transplant. 

Meghan, Scott, Colton, Dylan, and Gavin, are anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby Lawson as we write this. We have chosen Meghan as our latest Feel Better Campaign recipient and hope Meghan will feel comfortable, loved, and beautiful when she delivers baby Lawson. Here is a picture of Meghan just minutes ago in her Isabel designer hospital gown! Isn't she gorgeous?!

We need your help and we know you all will help because you have done it before! We would please ask you to do the following so that we can surround this family in love and prayers for Lawson to have a safe delivery and surgery in his first week of life:

• LIKE our Facebook post to help Meghan, Ryan and her boys feel our love.
• SHARE our Facebook post and as part of your comment put #LoveForLawson so others can help surround them in love and spread their story.
• POST A COMMENT on our Facebook post to give Meghan and her family words of encouragement and strength as they prepare for an exciting time of welcoming a new son to their family, yet also a very scary and unpredictable time as to the fate of their son's health.

Here is the link to our Facebook post so LIKE, SHARE, and POST AWAY!!! -FB LINK 

Meghan, her husband Ryan, who is a police sargent, and 3 sons live in Temecula, California. She is a stay at home mother and has her own photography business, Memories by Meghan Photography.    

What Makes Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gowns Special?

A funny card we came across...so true!

Annie & Isabel hospital gowns are far superior to the standard issues hospital gown. We have always believed this, but after 4 years, this is something we know for a fact. We stand behind this statement because we are constantly reminded of this by the amazing women who write to us and tell us what a difference an Annie & Isabel gown made in their hospital stay. We are both registered nurses and started our company after listening to years of our patients complain about the thin thread-bare, skimpy, huge, small, one-size-does-NOT-fit all hospital gowns. It is just astounding how a beautiful hospital gown of your own can make such a big impact on how you feel. 

Here is why our gowns are so special...

• Our designer hospital gowns are made of high quality 100% cotton and have a beautiful ribbon trim. 
• We have added an inside side pocket to keep essentials {kleenex, chapstick, phone...}
• Our gowns wrap around and tie on the side... a simple detail with a HUGE difference {no flashing in the hallways!!}
• All of our gowns meet hospital standards with snaps on the shoulders to provide easy IV access for medical personnel and makes nursing easy for new mothers.  
• Gowns fall mid-calf length for most women, providing extra security and comfort
• Sizes available in XS.S,M,L,XL,2XL ~ our sizing guideline for pregnancy and non-pregnancy
• Made in San Francisco, CA in the USA!!

Here is what some women had to say about Annie & Isabel,

"I felt "dressed" in the gown, which made me feel less like a patient and more like a person. I love my hospital gown!" ~Katie

"It was usually cold walking the halls with a regular hospital gown, but not with my Annie & Isabel gowns that wrap all the way around." ~Ruth

"Your gowns are wonderful! I wore a different one each day and the doctors and nurses would come in just to see what I was wearing! Wearing such pretty gowns gave me a brighter outlook" ~Anna

"The days I wore my Annie & Isabel gown, I actually felt like the staff treated me different. I felt more like a person and was treated as such! I've let so many friends borrow my gown...it's a good luck charm!" ~Stephanie

Thank you to all of our faithful customers who turn to us when a loved one is dealing with a difficult diagnosis. The gift of a gown is much more meaningful than flowers that do not last. Many of our customers wear their gowns to all of their doctor appointments, MRI's and tests, and subsequent hospital stays.

Thank you to all of our customers that think of Annie & Isabel as their go-to baby shower gift and keep their loved ones wrapped up in love and style as they welcome a new life!

We are so blessed to have each and every one of our A&I "ambassadors" who tell people about our company any chance they get! So many of our orders are from word-of-mouth marketing or from women who were gifted a gown and now want to spoil someone with one in return.

When you look great, you feel better!  

Amanda Welcomes Baby Girl In Her "Evelyn" Designer Hospital Gown

It is always a nice surprise when customers send us pictures in our Annie & Isabel hospital gowns! Amanda sent us a nice testimonial along with these beautiful pictures via our Facebook page. She wore our "Evelyn" gown for the birth of her daughter.

"The gown made me feel normal on a special day. All the nurses loved it and inquired where to get one!" 

"It made me feel special and the first pics with my little one were so much better than the drab hospital gowns."

"Thank you so much again. I was very excited to stumble across your gowns. I also am a registered nurse and know all too well how ugly and non human my patients feel in hospital gowns. I was glad to feel pretty and normal in my gown!"

 ~ Amanda - Toledo, Ohio

Congratulations to you and your family Amanda and thank you for sharing your experience with us!! We LOVE receiving testimonials so if you have worn an Annie & Isabel gown and would like to share some pictures and your story, please email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com or send us a message via Facebook.

Prayers for Lidia - #OhSoPoshStrong

There are some people in this world that just make other people better. I found somebody just like this a couple of years ago and have followed her through Facebook and Istagram ever since then. Her name is Lidia and she is a breast cancer survivor and she also has a daughter who has overcome her own health issues. She has taken her own hardships and used them to show others how strength, passion, faith, and love can get you through your darkest moments and even push you to use those life experiences to help others. So, it was extremely heartbreaking when I saw on her Facebook page, Oh So Posh Photography, that she is currently hospitalized and facing a probable recurrence of cancer.

Lidia with sweet daughter, Isadora
{photo credit - Oh So Posh Facebook page}

Lidia has touched the hearts of thousands of people including mine. She uses her talents to give selflessly to others through an organization that she founded, The Tiny Sparrow Foundation, in which she and other photographers photograph children who are facing life threatening illnesses. Through her Facebook page and blog she always looks for ways to help inspire others to be better people…..and she does.

It is her amazing way of touching others that is now working to help bring a huge amount of support her way. She is surrounded with love and prayers by thousands of her followers….most of whom have never met Lidia. We wanted to help bring more love, prayers and support her way.

We are asking all of our Annie & Isabel followers to band together again like we have so many times in the past and show our support for Lidia. Please help us by doing the following:

1. LIKE our Facebook post HERE to help share her story and continue to surround her in our love.

2. Leave a comment of support on our Facebook post to Lidia as she needs as much support as possible right now.

3. Send Lidia a real card. I can tell you from experience that receiving a card in the mail via snail mail can do wonders in lifting a person's spirits!!

Lidia Grigorean
9720 Coit Rd, Suite 220-222
Plano, TX 75025

4. If you use Instagram send her a message with the hashtag #ohsoposhstrong. She is reading all of these and has already said how much every message means to her.

We have made Lidia our latest "Feel Better Campaign" recipient and are sending her our "Evelyn" designer hospital gown in hopes it will bring a smile to her face, comfort while in the hospital, and strength to take on and kick cancer's butt again! We know sweet Isadora will love her Mommy's beautiful hospital gown and that alone is....everything.

To help understand what a special human being Lidia is, please read a post she wrote a year ago which talks about her struggles and how she has used those to make her a better person. It is a pretty powerful post:

"I Made Her Because I Love Her"

Lidia…we want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and you have the support of all our Annie & Isabel warriors!!  Take in all the support you are receiving and let it help bring you strength as you prepare to fight once again.

Mom of 2 Boys Celebrates Birth Of Baby Girl In Her "Annie" Designer Hospital Gown

As we have been reflecting  and collecting pictures of all the beautiful women who wore our hospital gowns in 2013, we stumbled upon this testimonial and had to share it with all of you! 

"Being a mom of two boys, I was sprinkled with everything blue. When we found out we were expecting a baby girl you can only imagine how crazy we went with pink! One of my favorite gifts was from a dear college friend, Jill - it was a designer pink and black polka dot Annie & Isabel gown. I was so excited to wear this on the day I was going to meet my daughter! I felt feminine, comfortable, fashionable and clean. All the nurses at Stanford complimented me on the gown and couldn't believe how darling it was. They kept saying I shouldn't walk around the hallways because all the other moms delivering would get jealous! 

I will never forget those first moments cradling our new daughter, Grace, in my arms wearing the Annie and Isabel gown. Thank you for being a part of the most important day of my life!

XO,

Barbara" 

Congrats to Barbara and Kevin! It's not too late to send us your 2013 pictures!! Email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com. We are looking forward to sharing our 2013 testimonial video soon.

The Loss Of A Mother, Friend, and Annie & Isabel Warrior

This past July we received a nice note from one of our customers, Maura, whose mother was battling leukemia. Maura purchased four Annie & Isabel hospital gowns for her mother who was in the hospital for two months over the summer due to many complications from her leukemia.

Christine in the ICU in her "Anita" hospital gown with daughter, Maura

Maura wrote the following email to us:

"My mother, Christine, is finally going home. Unfortunately she is not in remission so she will need more chemo but at least when she goes back to the hospital, she will have her four lovely gowns. She's finally up and having her dunkin donuts!"

"Thanks for everything. Seeing her in your gowns while in the ICU helped everyone see her as a person, not just a patient"

That last sentence from Maura really struck us because it is something we have heard from other customers and was one of the reasons why we felt having your own hospital gown was important when we started this business. It is easy for medical staff to treat every patient as just that…..a patient. Doctors get so caught up treating patients and trying to heal them, which is extremely important, however, sometimes doctors forget about the actual person behind that standard hospital gown. That is an easy thing to do when every patient wears the same standard hospital gown. Having your own, cheery, hospital gown not only provides comfort to a patient but it also often helps doctors and nurses pause and take notice of the beautiful person behind that beautiful gown.

Christine was a fighter! After two months in the hospital, fighting leukemia, renal failure, a bleed in her brain, and ICU psychosis, she was discharged just prior to the 4th of July with plans of what she was going to cook for the 4th of July celebration. You can see her fighting spirit in these pictures.

Smiling in her "Anita" gown with her "Isabel" & "Annie" gowns ready at the bedside

Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, Maura wrote to us to let us know her mother passed away December 3rd. Maura wanted us to know that her mother always felt special in her Annie & Isabel gowns. Maura plans to wear her mother's Annie & Isabel gowns if she and her husband have children in the future in order to help keep her mother close to her heart. LOVE THAT!

Christine & Maura celebrating Maura's special wedding day together

Maura, we are so sorry for your incredible loss. It is very evident how much you both loved each other and she will forever remain close to your heart. Big hugs to you and your family.

Photo Credit: Bharat Parmar Photography

Radiation Treatments…..In Style

A large number of Annie & Isabel gowns are sold to women fighting breast cancer. They help brighten the spirits of women recovering from their mastectomies while in the hospital and at home. They also provide comfort for women having to go through daily radiation treatments. We have had so many women write to us telling us how nice it was to have their own personal Annie & Isabel hospital gown for these treatments. We recently received a testimonial from breast cancer warrior, Lynn, pictured above. She is currently fighting breast cancer and we would love if you could keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues receiving radiation treatments.

Here is an email that Lynn sent to us:

"I was diagnosed in September with breast cancer by my yearly mammogram. I had surgery at Stanford Women's Cancer Center in October and began radiation treatment in November at home in San Luis Obispo. The radiation treatments are every day for 7 weeks.

I received the gift of an Annie & Isabel gown from a friend with the message to keep calm and heal strong so every day when I arrive at radiation, I take my "Annie" gown out of my cubicle and wear it with those thoughts, also knowing how fortunate I am to have been diagnosed and that I will be well soon. Have a mammogram and tell a friend to do the same."

~ Lynn

In This Season of Giving, Read About How This New Mom Gave the Gift of Life to Another Family

We always say that it is our customer's testimonials that give us the motivation and energy to continue our mission of helping women (and soon to be men) feel comforted and dignified during their hospital stays. This new testimonial did just that and brought tears to our eyes. We think it is the perfect story to share during this holiday season.    

This new mother made a huge sacrifice to bless another family with the gift of life and we LOVE that our Annie & Isabel hospital gowns were a part of this special journey. We are sending warm wishes to the amazing Elizabeth and her family. She truly is a real life ANGEL! 

"My surrogate journey started with the movie "Baby Mama", which is nothing like the actual process, at all. My husband and I have a 2 year old little girl named Lillian and we can't imagine our lives without her. My pregnancy was a breeze and labor with her was easy, 3 hours, no epidural, and no tearing (sorry if that's TMI) As the doctor was cleaning my daughter off I looked to my husband and told him I want to give the gift of a child to another family. I felt in my heart that it was my calling to give a family their own precious little face to look at and love on. I was required to wait until I was medically cleared by my OB before I could apply for the surrogate program ConcieveAbiltities in Denver CO. 

In December of 2011, sitting in a hotel room in Denver, while my 3 months old daughter slept. I filled out my application to be a surrogate. Three weeks later I got the email saying I was invited into the program. I could not have been more excited. From that moment on it was a slow and steady process. We had our match meeting, went over the legal aspects, and signed the contracts. 

Nine months after submitting my application it was transfer day! October 15, 2012 two (yes two) perfect embryos were transferred into what we hoped would be there oven for the next 9 months, me. I was on doctor ordered bed rest for 48 hours and as soon as the bed rest was lifted I knew I was pregnant! I was short of breath and craved orange juice which were the only two symptoms I had when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. So, nine days post transfer I took a home pregnancy test and got a big fat positive. After a blood test, the doctor confirmed it, I was pregnant! Then at 8 weeks we saw 2 sacs and 2...count em.....2 heartbeats!

Through the process the intended parents were very standoffish and were excited but didn't show it. They attended none of the appointments except the hospital tour when I was 20 weeks pregnant. The disconnect between my family and the intended parents is what brought me to Annie and Isabel. 

While the other surrogates were having baby showers thrown by/for their intended parents I was home with my loving husband and daughter. Their baby showers inspired me to treat myself to a few luxury items for my delivery. I entered "designer hospital gowns" into the google search bar. There were 4 companies listed before Annie and Isabel, but their back stories and customer testimonials are what hooked me. Those and the fact they had an Elizabeth gown!

I had no hesitation in ordering my gowns (yes I got two). The sizing was easy to understand, the designs are adorable, and the gowns cover everything. Being that I'm 6 ft tall, some gowns tend to be a little short. What really sold me was the fact that the gowns had pockets. I even had a pocket sewn into my wedding dress. I have to have my phone and chap-stick at all times. 

I checked my shipment status every few hours to make sure they were on their way. I opened the box and tears filled my eyes. They were gorgeous and I knew they would help in my recovery. I gushed over them for a few days before packing them in my hospital bag to await the faithful day when I would give mom and dad their precious cargo back.

The big day came and everything went so fast. The twins were born on May 25, 2013 via c-section happy and healthy. I was wheeled into recovery where my husband was waiting for me. I remembered him kissing me on the forehead and holding my Annie gown up. "When you are able to walk I will give you your gown my princess." That was all the motivation I needed, I was in my gown just after dark.

As my husband and I walked through the hospital (sometimes 4-5 times a day) there was always a comment made or a question asked about my gown. I answered every question with joy and a smile. I wanted everybody to know what an impact a beautiful gown can have on their recovery. But the gowns were not packed away after the twins. I keep them handy for any and every hospital trip, which included my several ER visits for kidney infections caused by my catheter.

Thank you Annie and Isabel for the wonderful, beautiful, and modest gowns." 

Yours Truly,
Elizabeth  
Proud Surrogate

Cyber Monday...Ready...Set...GO!!!

Happy December and Happy Cyber Monday! Every year, we rest up in preparation for our annual Cyber Monday sale! We always love the thrill of all the orders that roll in on this day! If you have been thinking about buying an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown...today is the day! Being a small business, we can tell you, this is the ONLY day a year that we have a sale! 

As you probably know, the gift of an Annie & Isabel gown is sure to bring a smile to an expecting mama, a loved one with an upcoming surgery or hospital stay, someone who unfortunately endures frequent hospital visits, doctor appointments, radiation treatments, chiropractor visits, or acupuncture treatments. So many places you can avoid those icky gowns!

Tell them that you love them with the gift of their very OWN designer hospital gown! Say "no thank you" to the paper gown or gown worn by many!!

We went back and forth about holding our annual sale this year, because we are very low in the inventory of some of the smaller sizes. You may find that we are out of your favorite gown or size, so we would also like to honor our Cyber Monday discount on gift certificates {today only}! We are in production with a huge order of gowns, so if you are able to wait a few months for your gown, then purchase a gift certificate and redeem it in the near future. If you can't wait, and we don't have your favorite gown, we are truly sorry. 

To take advantage of this once a year offer - please use the code "CYBER" upon checkout for 30% off of your entire order. 

In other exciting news around Annie & Isabel HQ...We are beyond honored to be included in Sactown Magazine as one of five local "Cool Companies" featured in the December/January issue . When we started Annie & Isabel in 2009, we never could have imagined all the exciting moments we would experience as a result of this business. Having Sactown Magazine feature Annie & Isabel is definitely one of those moments, and will be remembered as the highlight of our 2013 year. If you live in the Sacramento area, you can pick up your copy of Sactown magazine at your local Raley's, Bel-Air, Nugget Market, Cort Bros., Safeway, Barnes & Noble, or Taylor's Market.

Popular Blogger Jill Krause of Baby Rabies Wears our Isabel Gown to Welcome Lowell

This is a long overdue testimonial but well worth the wait!!  We have been following the blog, Baby Rabies, for quite some time so we were so excited when the writer of this blog, Jill Krause, wanted to wear one of our designer hospital gowns for the birth of her third child. 

Jill is a very talented writer with a great sense of humor. Her sense of humor about being a mother and highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly of everyday life has definitely struck a chord with many as she has gained a huge following on her blog and has over 20,000 followers on her Facebook page. If you don't already follow her blog, head on over and check it out. It will be worth your time!!

Jill chose to wear the "Isabel" designer hospital gown for the birth of her third child. She delivered a beautiful baby boy, Lowell Scott Krause, on July 30th, 2013. 

Jill wore her "Isabel" hospital gown to recover in after her delivery and here is what she had to say about wearing her own hospital gown:

"My Annie & Isabel gown was such a nice treat. I loved slipping it on after I got cleaned up post-delivery, before heading to recovery. It was great to have a beautiful, comfortable gown on when family came to visit that not only functioned well for me, but also looked great in pictures. I especially loved that I didn't have to worry about anything peeking out the backside, and that the shoulders unsnapped for breastfeeding and skin to skin time."

If you are up for a good birth story that will make you smile, laugh and cry, read all about the birth of Lowell here from Jill's blog, BabyRabies:  "Lowell's Birth Story"

Congrats Krause family!! You are all truly blessed. 

Photo Credit: A Sacred Project

Newest Feel Better Campaign Recipient, Tim, Needs Our Prayers

Every once in awhile we ask our community to pull together and wrap our arms around someone in need of our thoughts and prayers. So far, you always come through. This is the reason why we always boast that we have the best fans ever. WE NEED YOU ALL AGAIN!!

Tim is our latest "Feel Better Campaign" recipient. Tim is a 35 year old young man who, a couple of weeks ago, had everything going for him. He serves our country in the United States Air Force and also works in a job he loves, as a firefighter. He loves serving others and helping people in need.

He has a beautiful wife, Lacey, and three precious boys.

In the course of one week, Tim's life changed drastically and he is now fighting for his life. Last week, Tim was having some abdominal pain, so he went to the ER. What he thought might be a bad virus turned out to be much more serious. He ended up requiring emergency surgery and was told he had cancer that had spread throughout his abdomen. 

Tim and his family need our help! We are asking you to help us make this post go viral so we can send Tim a ton of thoughts and prayers in hopes that he can be provided with the strength to win this battle. He has way too much to live for…….

 and these sweet boys need their daddy.

We donated one of our men's camouflage gowns to Tim so that he can fight this battle in style and with dignity. By the looks of this picture, we don't think cancer stands a chance against Tim!

So…help us make his story go viral on Facebook!!

1.  "SHARE" this post on Facebook to help spread Tim's story so we can get more people sending good thoughts and prayers his way.

2.  "LIKE" this post on Facebook. Let's show Tim just how many people are thinking about him.

3.  Leave a message for Tim on our Facebook post. He and his family are following us on Facebook and each message we send to him will help give Tim the strength to battle cancer and kick it's butt!

4. Lastly, Tim and his family are going to incur a lot of medical and travel expenses. Thoughts and prayers are what mean the most to them at this time, but if you are inclined and would like to help with his expenses, please visit his donation site where you can also learn more about his story and receive updates from his family and friends:

Tim's Donation Site

Fight hard Tim!! We are sending you prayers of strength, courage, and hope and there are a whole lot of other people doing the same. Your boys need you back home reminding them how fun yard work can be!!

YouTube Beauty Guru, Tiffany Darlyn, Delivers 2nd Son and Recovers in Style

We recently had the pleasure of working for the second time with YouTube beauty guru, Tiffany Darlyn. Tiffany produces videos on her YouTube channel that range in topics from hair tutorials, health and fitness, fashion, makeup tutorials, and so much more. She has quite a following on her YouTube channel, receiving thousands of views on all her videos. She also has thousands of fans via Twitter and Instagram.

One of the things we love most about Tiffany is the fact that she is down to earth and very approachable. She hasn't let her popularity get to her and always makes an effort to respond to her fans. You can tell she loves what she is doing and appreciates every fan that takes the time to watch her videos!!

When Tiffany had her first son two years ago, she wore our Susan gown and looked absolutely beautiful.

Since that time we have continued to keep in touch with Tiffany via Twitter and Instagram so we were excited when she announced that she was expecting another baby!! She chose to recover in the "Annie" designer hospital gown this time and, once again, looked fabulous:-)

Here is what Tiffany had to say about her Annie & Isabel hospital gowns:

"I am a mom of two boys, an almost 2 year old and a 2 month old, so I got the opportunity to wear an Annie and Isabel gown twice! With my first son I wore the Susan and with my second son I wore the Annie. Both gowns are beautiful and I'm so glad I was able to wear them. After hours of labor and giving birth, the last thing you want to do is take pictures, but wearing these gowns gave me confidence and I wanted to show it off and take as many pictures as possible! Not only that, but I was more comfortable in a gown that was actually mine, versus the standard blue hospital gown that is normally provided for you. I love everything about the gowns, the pockets, the easy access buttons, and the tie on the back, they are just perfect. I got soooo many compliments from my doctor and nurses. They all loved my gowns as well. To anyone thinking about purchasing one, I would say don't think twice about it. I DEFINITELY recommend these gowns and guarantee you'll love them!"

Thank you so much Tiffany!! We have enjoyed watching your little family grow!!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN ONE OF OUR DESIGNER HOSPITAL GOWNS??!! If you haven't already, please go "LIKE" our Facebook page because tomorrow we will be doing a giveaway with one of our all time favorite companies. We will be giving away their product and they will be giving away one of our designer hospital gowns on their Facebook page. We will post the giveaway on our page.  Good Luck!!

{GIVEAWAY} THE CALLIGRAPHY GIRL

This next giveaway comes from another very creative mom entrepreneur, Lara Kiniris. Her company is called "The Calligraphy Girl" because she specializes in calligraphy writing but it is so much more than that!! In addition to using her talents to address envelopes for special occasions, like weddings, she also creates works of art with her calligraphy, which she likes to call "word art". Her creations are beautiful and each piece is unique.

The Calligraphy Girl holds a special place in my heart because Lara created a beautiful cancer ribbon to celebrate my one year thyroid cancer anniversary, using words I chose to describe my journey from the beginning to becoming a cancer survivor.

I also had her create an Irish cross with the names of all the children, their spouses and grandchildren of my in-laws to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

The Calligraphy Girl has created cute calligraphy art to celebrate children like this cute baby bottle:

and a beautiful dress for the princess:

as well as a baseball or basketball for the sports lover:

Want to give a friend a unique present to celebrate a significant birthday?? Lara created this purse for one of our mom's best friends using words our mother chose to best describe her friend. How cute is this??!!

Or perhaps your friend is a shoe lover….

Lara's calligraphy art is amazing and unique and is sure to be a treasured gift for anyone. What I love most about Lara is that she is willing to try anything. You give her the object you want to make, along with the words you want to use, and she creates it!! I have had her create several things and she hasn't disappointed me yet.

So now for the best part……THE GIVEAWAY.  One winner will receive an 8x10 calligraphy "word art" piece from The Calligraphy Girl. She will work with you to create your special piece. Enter below and good luck!!

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