Living Life After Cancer

It is hard to believe it has been two years since I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It seems like just yesterday that I received that call from my doctor telling me I had cancer. Not a day has gone by since that phone call that I don’t think about my cancer and how it has changed me. It has been a very long, hard, journey and, for the first time in these last two years, I can honestly say that I finally feel good and am happy with where I am at.

It’s interesting with these “cancerversaries” because, on the one hand, I am excited to have another healthy year under my belt and I want to celebrate that milestone. On the other hand, in the weeks prior to my cancer anniversaries, all the emotions and feelings of my diagnosis, and what I went through, start to swirl back, causing a bit of anxiety which, in turn, make me want to just get past that anniversary date.  Last year was much worse because it was all so fresh in my mind and I still wasn’t feeling great.  This year my anxiety is not as intense but it is still lurking in my consciousness. I’m hoping with each year that passes, this anxiousness will ease.

When I was diagnosed with cancer it was quite shocking. I felt like a million bucks at the time and I couldn’t understand how this could happen to me. With the help of my family and friends, however, I became determined to kick the crap out of this cancer.......and I did.  What I didn’t realize at the time was that, for me, going through the surgeries and treatment for thyroid cancer was going to be the easiest part of this journey. The aftermath of cancer and the medications I needed to take, and still need to take, to keep the cancer from coming back, proved to be a much greater challenge for me. I had periods of feeling really angry inside because I started to wonder if I was ever going to feel good again. For over a year and a half, I woke up almost every day feeling achy and tired. It was a struggle going out looking good on the outside but not feeling so great on the inside. I had a huge amount of guilt because I felt that I should be grateful for being cancer free, and don’t get me wrong, because I was.  I was also depressed because I was in a constant state of fatigue. Running errands, figuring out what to make for dinner, going shopping, making dinner, driving my four boys to the gazillions of activities they had going on, and trying to make it through my 12 hour shifts as a nurse in a busy emergency room  all were so overwhelming. The guilt of telling my kids I didn’t want to go outside and play with them, because I felt achy and just needed to sit on the couch, made me feel like such a failure sometimes. Deep down I knew my kids were just fine but I yearned to go out, run and play with them.

In the beginning of this journey, I really felt strongly that cancer was going to make me a better, stronger person. I definitely appreciated my family, friends and health a whole lot more than I did prior to my diagnosis. As the days, weeks, and months passed by, and I still did not feel like my old energetic, fun self, I began to question whether this cancer really was making me a better person. I certainly didn’t feel strong. Frankly, it really pissed me off that I might never feel good again. It angered me that I couldn’t control how I felt. I had to rely on a medication to give me the energy that my thyroid used to do on its own but I was required to take more of that very medication to keep the cancer away. That, in turn, made me feel bad. I started asking myself, is this really making me a better person??

I began to wonder if I just needed to come to terms with the “new me”. I even hoped that I would forget what it felt like to feel good because then maybe I could deal with the fatigue better. Maybe if I could just get used to it, the thoughts of my fatigue would not consume me. The problem was that I couldn’t just get used to feeling achy and feeling like my brain was in a fog all the time. It just all felt frustrating and I came very close to telling my doctor that I didn’t think I could deal with the way I felt for much longer.

Fortunately, a wonderful thing happened to me.  I was given the great news that I was still cancer free after my one year testing and, because of this, my doctor allowed me to back off of my medications a little bit.  Over the next 4 months I began to feel less achy and have a whole lot more energy. I felt like the fog was finally lifting and I was getting glimpses of my old energetic self and what an amazing feeling that was! Now, two years after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, I have days where I hardly think about my cancer because I often feel “normal”.   It is a beautiful feeling and something I definitely do not take for granted.

So am I a better, stronger person because of this cancer diagnosis? This journey continues to teach me a lot about myself. I am much more grateful for each day.....the good, the bad, AND the ugly days. I might complain sometimes but I am always able to put myself in check.....because I had cancer. I am painfully aware that there are so many others diagnosed with cancer traveling much tougher roads which sometimes lead to death. I don’t take life for granted......because I had cancer. I see hundreds of acutely and chronically ill patients every day in my job and I now know what it means to not feel great for a lengthy period of time. I will never take my good health for granted.....because I had cancer. I often see Facebook posts about how sad it is that the weekend is over and it is only the start of the long new week.  I used to feel the same way, but those types of posts really bug me now. I love EVERY day of the week...especially Monday......because I had cancer.  Life is fragile and things can change in an instant.  I know...... because I had cancer. So, YES, I am a better, stronger person who is extremely grateful to be healthy and I feel blessed to wake up each day and find the beauty in each waking hour.....because I had cancer.

Photo by Brenda Bisharat Photography

Passing Along The Love

One of the privileges of having a business like Annie & Isabel is that we often have the opportunity to "meet" very brave, giving, and loving women. Less than a week ago, we received an email from Emily. She wrote to us about her sixty-six year old mother, who was struggling with Alzheimers, and had recently become bed bound.

Dressing her mother in regular clothing was becoming difficult and Emily wanted her to have something stylish to wear. Fashion and style were always important to her mother and she didn't want her mother to have to sacrifice that now. Emily thought that Annie & Isabel hospital gowns would be the perfect solution, so she purchased two gowns for her mom.  We sent them out the next day. We then received this sad, yet beautiful, email from Emily:

"Unfortunately mom passed away Saturday morning before she got the chance to put on her gown (she only wore the drab one from the facility for a couple of hours, though. They kept her in her usual fashionable wardrobe almost until the end). Fortunately, and most importantly, it was very peaceful and my dad and I were there to hold her hand."

Emily is seated next to her mother 

"I was wondering if I could turn around and send the gowns back to you all so that you could donate them to 1-2 deserving women who need them now. The refund isn't important but getting them into the hands of women who need them is and I would love to help you all out with that."

What a beautiful way to honor her mother by passing on the comfort, style and dignity provided by our gowns to other deserving women.

At the same time that we were corresponding with Emily, coincidentally, we received an email from another woman, Kaitlyn, who told us about her sister, Jaime, who is dealing with a recent diagnosis of cervical cancer that has spread significantly.  Jaime is going to be having surgery, radiation and possibly chemotherapy soon. Kaitlyn wrote to us saying:

 "I feel ashamed asking for something from a total stranger but my sister saw your site and really wanted something comfortable and pretty to wear during her hospital duration. Would you be able to give her a gown as I can't afford one and neither can she?"

Jaime is having extensive surgery today and, thanks to the generosity and giving spirit of Emily, Jaime will be recovering in our Anita gown.

Jaime is described by her sister as one of the most selfless people she knows. She has been married for 12 years to her high school sweetheart and has two small children that are 7 and 5 years old who mean the world to her. She always thinks of others before herself and has been known to give other children Christmas presents when their parents couldn't afford them. Kaitlyn wrote, "She is a strong person and I know she will fight this."

We would love it if you would send good thoughts and prayers for Jaime that she has a successful surgery today and that she can fight and win this battle. We would also love it if you could keep Emily and her family in your thoughts as they celebrate her mother's life and deal with a huge loss in their own lives.

May we all learn from these beautiful women and their selfless acts of kindness. It only takes a small act to make a big difference in someone's life. We challenge you all to do something selfless this week and make a difference in someone's life.  Good works can have a trickle down effect.

Men…We've Got You Covered….Soon!

We are excited to finally announce that our "Man Gown" is close to becoming a reality!! We have been working hard on our design and are currently in the process of working with our manufacturer to make, what we hope to be, our final samples. We, as nurses, know that men need to be covered just as much as women so we just can't wait to make that happen.

We were recently able to share one of our samples with a friend whose fiance recently had to undergo a heart procedure so we thought we would tease you all with some pics of one of two designs we will be making for the man gown.

So….our first testimonial for our man gown from my good friend and co-worker, Robin:

"My love, my warrior, Scott Hyatt, is our area bomb squad commander. As soon as we learned that he needed a heart procedure, I thought of Annie & Isabel, a designer hospital gown company owned by my friend and coworker, Anna Ryan and her sister. I called to inquire about the new men's gowns they were designing, and she was able to produce this amazing camouflage gown. How perfect for my man who goes to work in his ACU fatigues, right?!  

At first, Scott was a skeptic, but the gown fit like a dream, the fabric was quality, the construction sturdy, it wraps around so that his goods aren't flashed, and there was a pocket - which he loved!!

The hospital gown they put him in post procedure didn't have a telemetry pocket, and his wires and cords kept pulling it down and over. As you can see, the Annie and Isabel men's gown has the telemetry pocket with a slit under....so he's all tucked in!! Sometimes I think men can be more prone to a sense of vulnerability in the hospital setting, especially when they are the ones that are used to saving the world. I really felt his demeanor change when I slipped this gown on him. 

We love you Anna, and are so grateful for Annie and Isabel for making my EOD Commander's hospital stay so much more comfortable."

Men.....We've Got You Covered!!

::UPDATE:: After A Near Death Motor Vehicle Accident A Year Ago, Julie McClure Has Come A Long Way

Many of you may remember one of our "Feel Better Campaign" recipients from last year, Julie McClure. She survived a life threatening motor vehicle accident on December 17, 2011, which came very close to taking her life. You can read more about her story HERE. We were very excited to receive an update from Julie recently and wanted to share it with all of you. This last year has been a long road for Julie and she has undergone too many surgeries to count but she is finally walking again and just beginning to continue with her goal of becoming a nurse practitioner. She is an amazing woman with great strength and determination.

Julie with her husband, Michael, last year

We donated our "Annie" gown to Julie as a part of our "Feel Better Campaign" and many of you also helped Julie by sending good thoughts and prayers and some made donations which allowed us to give Julie a second gown!!! She has loved her gowns and she recently wore them again for more surgeries to her arm and leg. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to heal from her injuries.  We hope you enjoy this little update from Julie as much as we did!! Keep up the great work Julie. You are an inspiration to us all!!

"Thank you for taking the time to follow up on my progress! I have thoroughly enjoyed your gowns! I got to use them again just a few weeks ago when I had another surgery on my left leg! I know I was the best dressed patient in that hospital!!! 

As far as my progress... In the last month I have had two more major surgeries. One on my leg and one on my elbow. I had been having trouble walking so they decided my leg had healed wrong and they needed to break it and reset it. Well when they got in there during the surgery they discovered the fracture just hadn't healed! They put in a rod and ever since then I have been gradually able to put more weight on it! I am almost to where I can walk some without my cane!"

Julie with her sweet niece to cheer her up!

"During my elbow surgery they had to free my impinged ulnar nerve and take out all the metal in my elbow because I couldn't move it at all! The surgery, although painful, was relatively successful. The doctor was pleased and expects a decent recovery of motion. I am diligently working to get my elbow moving!"

Julie holding up all the metal that was removed from her elbow!!

"It is a slow process but it is starting to move! I am currently working hard at physical therapy and elbow therapy three times a week to get stronger and stronger! I start back to work part time in January and hopefully I will also begin back to grad school to finish up my Nurse Practitioner schooling! Still praying that will work out!

Thanks for all your prayers they have meant so much!"

~ Julie McClure

You can continue to follow Julie's progress on a Facebook page that was set up for her last year here: Praying for the McClures and their families

The Comfort of an Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown for Surgery

At the end of September,  we received an email from a customer wanting to purchase a gown for an upcoming surgery. The surgery was just a few days away and she knew she would need to be hospitalized for a few days and wanted something more comfortable and stylish to recover in after surgery. She chose to recover in our "Susan" gown.  

There are some customers that we just can't stop thinking about once we send out their gown and Estrellita was one of those customers. She told us in an email that her surgery would be more complicated because she has a severe allergy to anesthesia medications......not something you want to be allergic to when you  need surgery! We sent good thoughts her way on surgery day and followed up with an email to her about a week later.We couldn't help but worry when we didn't hear right back from her. She finally emailed us, a week later, with the great news that the surgery was a success and that she had just required a few more days to recover than expected!!! That is the kind of news we like to hear:-)

We hope you continue to feel great and enjoy those cute boys of yours Estrellita!!!  

Following is a nice testimonial that Estrellita sent to us:

"Customer service was amazing!! I was so touched by your kindness and your fast response. I received my gown quickly and it surpassed my expectations. My Annie and Isabel gown is beautiful, and it really lifted my spirits when I got to put it on after my surgery! My nurses LOVED the gown and said they noticed a spring to my step and lift in my energy when I put it on. I felt better when I LOOKED BETTER! =D Thank you so much! My friend will be having surgery soon, and I will be getting her a gown! In addition, it looks like there are more abdominal surgeries in my future, so I will have my cute gown to help me thru each time...Thank you for your advice, prayers, excellent customer service, and kindness!" ~ Estrellita

THANK YOU ~ The Magic of Facebook

We just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU....to our Facebook fans, Twitter followers, friends and customers.  You truly are the BEST fans and you motivate us to keep doing what we do every day. 

This last week we posted the story of Jen Roper, a young wife and mom of five beautiful children, who was undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumor.  We asked you to help us by sending her good thoughts and prayers and "liking" and "sharing" our Facebook post to rally even more thoughts, prayers, and loving comments from all over the country via Facebook.   When we post things like this we always keep our fingers crossed because we know in order for a post to have a chance of going "viral" our core Facebook fans must "like" and "share" it and  BOY DID YOU EVER!!!!  Here is the current status of this post:

The "likes" and comments keep coming in!!!!  Go to our FACEBOOK page now and you will see that there will be even more "likes" and comments.  In addition...this facebook post was shared by 129 people which also continues to grow.  The blog post we did about Jen has had thousands of views by people in over 10 countries!

This makes us so happy because anyone who has gone through a difficult time knows that having a tremendous amount of support, even from strangers, makes a big difference.  Jen has already expressed thanks for your support and as she recovers from this surgery and gears up for chemotherapy and radiation, to get rid of the small amount of her brain tumor that is left, we would love if you keep the thoughts and prayers coming her way.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.  You have helped make a family feel loved and supported.....and that means a lot:-)  You can follow Jen's journey via her blog - The Roper's.

 

More Blessings of Cancer and On to Treatment

As many of you know, I had surgery on February 29th to remove the remainder of my thyroid  due to my thyroid cancer. I got to show off our newest Annie & Isabel "Elizabeth" designer hospital gown which was really fun and made me feel good at a time that was kind of scary. (Speaking of our new Elizabeth gown....if anyone wants to purchase one, please email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com.  We don't have them on our website yet but we are fully stocked with them!)

Pre-Op with my Husband

Pre-Op with Sister and Mom

The surgery itself went really well and the recovery in the hospital was surprisingly not too bad….or maybe that was the drugs:-)

Smiling fresh out of surgery..yes..I think it was drugs:-)

Really, though, the pain was much less this time around, and I was able to eat pretty normal food within a couple of days which was great. It also didn't hurt being surrounded by my beautiful boys!

I just got the pathology back for this surgery, and there was a very small amount of cancer on the left side of my thyroid too. I did not expect that, but it was so small that it won’t change the treatment plan.

So now I am without a thyroid and am also not on any replacement medications for my thyroid. This is because, in order to receive treatment, I need to be depleted of thyroid hormones and become very hypothyroid. About a week and a half ago, I started to feel the effects of this. I have become a lot more tired and am now requiring naps during the day. If you know me, I am not the napping type of gal, but I am totally welcoming them now. My legs ache constantly and I just have an overwhelming feeling of heaviness. Each day seems to be a little worse. I joked with a few of my friends that this is kind of like a weird science experiment.  Maybe my kids should have entered me in the Science Fair! My body has lost a very vital organ and now with each day I wait to see what new symptoms I’ll experience.

I am writing this post now because I’m not sure that I will have the energy to do this in the next weeks and I don’t think my brain will be functioning quite as well. They say you will get “brain fog” from being hypothyroid. I’m hoping to avoid that, but I am already finding that sometimes I have a hard time remembering things (although I think that problem might have started well before my cancer diagnosis, …but now I can blame it on this..ha!)

The whole point of me writing this post is that I could really feel sorry for myself right now, and I’m not saying that I don’t sometimes, or that I haven’t cried, but I am always trying to find the blessings and positive things in this whole experience. I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the wonderful things that have come out of this. I share this with you because I hope that maybe you, too, can realize how precious our lives are and how important it is to sometimes step back, take some extra time,  and enjoy life. I know, before my diagnosis, I was so extremely busy with driving my kids around, working my job as a nurse, being a wife, and working on Annie & Isabel, that I hardly ever stopped to smell the flowers. I mentioned in my previous post about a friend telling me that “Cancer is not a gift but it brings many gifts with it”….well here are some of the latest gifts I have received from this diagnosis and I hope it helps you to also look for the blessings in your lives.

I have been given the gift of connecting individually with each of my children every morning. In this last week, I have not gotten out of bed before 9am. My husband has thankfully been home to run the house. Every morning, on their own, each of my children has come in to talk to me and snuggle. It is so sweet that they do this, and it shows me how much they care and love me. It is such a wonderful thing to connect with each of them in the morning and share some love before they start their days. It's also fun to start the day with a few laughs, and an ipad that distorts photos does just the trick.

Here is a cute picture of my boys just so you don't think I am raising aliens!!

I never found that extra time before because, frankly, it was hard enough just running around to get out the door on time. I have already grown closer to each of my precious boys and I can tell they have grown even closer to me. I will ALWAYS cherish this part of my experience and plan to make more time for this when I am well. You CAN'T turn back time but you CAN make the most of each minute you have now.

Another gift I have received is the gift of napping with my Daniel. In the past, I only loved naps for my children so that I could have ME time. Don’t get me wrong…that “me” time is important, but napping is such a short period in a child's life,  so why not join them every once in awhile? Daniel used to fight me on taking naps, but now it is something we both look forward to. He has the cutest little smile as we jump in bed together and snuggle up. I can tell how much he is absorbing all my love for him. One afternoon after our nap he told me, “taking naps together is actually kind of fun!” My heart was so full at that moment and I’m pretty sure his was too. I hope he will always remember this time as I know I will never forget it!

Getting Ready For Nap

Sweet Dreams

Another gift I have been given is to appreciate my health! I may never completely have the energy I had prior to my cancer diagnosis, but I will definitely value having a healthy body that allows me to get through everything I need to do in a day. I also want to mention that while cancer has temporarily taken my health and energy, it will never take away my spirit, and that is what is going to keep me going, to regain my strength and appreciate my health and life as I have never done before. I posted this picture on my personal facebook page a week ago but wanted to share it here too. For me, it is a visual of what I think about this whole cancer experience and I will proudly show off my scar because there is no reason to hide a badge of courage and strength.

Cancer May Scar My Skin But Not My Spirit

So the next phase for me is treatment. In 2-4 weeks I will have my whole body scanned to see if there is any spread of the cancer anywhere and then I will be given what is called a radioactive iodine treatment. The dose of the treatment depends on what the scan looks like and it is basically a pill that I will swallow. This isn’t any old pill though. Once I swallow this pill I become radioactive!! Doesn’t that sound super hero-ish? I think I will tell my kids that I will be turning into Superwoman!! The pill I will swallow is so radioactive that I will have to sit in the very back of the car to be driven home from my appointment. Also, if I were to go to the airport in the next few months or even up to the next year, there is a good chance I might set off alarms due to my radioactivity. Pretty cool huh….NOT!!

After I come home from this appointment, I will be isolated in a room by myself for one week because I cannot expose anyone to the radioactivity…especially my children. I’m not going to be feeling very good, so having to stay in a room for a week is probably not going to be such a big deal but emotionally it is going to be tough. When I am feeling down I plan to watch this.....God love my boys:

Thank goodness for technology because I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t see or talk to my family and friends. I plan to utilize face time/skype, facebook, twitter and the good ole telephone to stay in touch!! So…if you live in the area and see a bright light glowing at night…it’s probably me:-) I am on the road to being CANCER FREE!!



"How Is Selling Clothing Making a Difference In People's Lives? I'd Love To Know!"

When my sister and I made the decision to become nurses it was because we felt called to a profession that allowed us to help those in need......as is the case for most nurses.  We can't imagine giving of ourselves in any other way than through our hands and hearts as we care for our patients in the hospital. We feel honored to help others during times when they are most vunerable. Every day we have the privilege of making a difference in someone's life and that, in and of itself, is amazing.  But, doing what we do is not always easy and the stress of our jobs can weigh heavily on us. We try not to let our work life interfere with our personal lives but sometimes a particular patient's story or outcome will stick with us for days, years, and sometimes forever. It changes who we are and how we live. We both have had a few rough weeks at work and are so thankful for the support we give to each other. Anna has been dealing with a short staffed ER and barely gets a lunch or bathroom break most days. I recently experienced one of the hardest deaths of my career and have been caring for some patients with heart wrenching circumstances. Through all of this sadness, however, we find strength and inspiration from the men and women fighting the good fight before our eyes. When we come home on days where a person lost their life unexpectedly and we are faced with comforting their heartbroken family, it makes the little everyday stresses so inconsequential. It is on those nights that we hold our families close and remember that each day should be cherished like it is the last. Here are some things we should all remember:

Life is not always fair.

Every day without pain and suffering should be cherished and lived to the fullest. 

Appreciate the little and big things each day and try not to sweat the small stuff.

Treat each day like it could be your last and make the most of it. 

When we started Annie & Isabel it came from the core of who we are as women and nurses. We obviously didn't choose our career in nursing because we wanted to be recognized for our compassion and care. We chose it because we love to help others feel better. When we started Annie & Isabel as a side business, we based it on that same desire.....to help those in the hospital. Providing comfort and dignity in the small form of having your OWN hospital gown is not a genius idea! Hospital gowns have been around...umm...forever. We just redesigned them from our first hand experience and added features that we know are lacking in the standard gown. We have used our expertise from our professional careers to make what we know to be an amazing direct to consumer hospital gown. What other product can you gift yourself or a loved one that provides comfort, style, and dignity in the hospital?! What other product has the power to bring a smile to someone during a most difficult time?!

We receive so many emails from our customers telling us what a difference having their own gown made during their stay or in the stay of the person they gifted the hospital gown to. We are so touched and honored that people WANT to share their stories with us and especially love that the many testimonials we recieve, come from people wearing them in all stages of one's life.... from bringing a new life into the world to helping someone die comfortably and peacefully.

Amy, a woman welcoming her first child said, "I loved the fact that it closed completely in the back so I could walk the halls without worry and the shoulder snaps allowed me to easily nurse my little one"...

14 year old open heart surgery patient Katie said, "The gowns made my days so much brighter! I felt "dressed" in the gown, which made me feel less like a patient and more like a person. I love my hospital gowns!"

Karen who cared for her mother in her final days said, "She passed away around midnight and the gown brought comfort to more than my mom during the time of her final hours in hospice. We were pleased seeing her in such a nice hospital gown and knew she would appreciate the spiffy, detailing and the fact that they matched her slippers.  Thank you so much for helping us."



Hearing from these inspirational women is what keeps us going! Like we always say, "When you look great, you feel better!™" and that is not just what we think or what you see on the home page of our website... that is what we know. We know this from our days at work when we can take the extra time out of our busy days to wash our patients hair or soak their tired feet...and now we know this because of all our amazing customers that tell us about it when wearing their Annie & Isabel gowns in the hospital or at home.

Yesterday on Twitter my {very supportive} husband suggested @AnnieandIsabel  to @kim who was looking for "creative and positive people" to tweet about. Someone else tweeted back to my husband....

"How is selling clothing making a difference in people's lives? I'd love to know!"

Honestly, my first reaction was a feeling of frustration...knowing that he clearly did not understand our product and there was no way he had ever been a patient in a hospital bed.  My calm husband, however, chose to look at this as an opportunity and tweeted back to him with a link to our hospital stay testimonial page. His response......

"Cool- I'll try to remember them next time someone I love has a hospital 

visit that lasts more than a day"

We really want to thank all of our readers, followers, and friends for all of your support. You are all a part of our Annie & Isabel family. Every time we send out a hospital gown we think about the people that will wear our hospital gowns. Sometimes our thoughts are of excitement as a woman anticipates the arrival of a newborn child. Sometimes our thoughts are of prayer as the woman about to wear their Annie & Isabel hospital gown will be going through surgery, cancer treatments or battling a chronic illness and sometimes they are thoughts of sadness and comfort as a family prepares to say goodbye to a loved one. Just as we carry the stories of our patients from work in our hearts....we also carry the stories of the women who wear our hospital gowns in our hearts. Thank you all for helping Annie & Isabel make a difference.

The Comfort of The Isabel Designer Hospital Gown After Knee Replacement Surgery

We received a lovely testimonial from Sharon of Virginia. She purchased an Annie & Isabel hospital gown for herself for a knee replacement surgery she was scheduled to have that would require a couple nights stay in the hospital. She heard about our company from a friend of hers and knew right away it was a necessity for her upcoming surgery.

Sharon purchased the Isabel hospital gown and here is what she had to say about her experience in her gown:

"I am so happy that my friend told me about Annie & Isabel Hospital Gowns and that I ordered one before having knee replacement surgery recently. As soon as I looked online, I knew I'd love your gowns - and I did! I was especially pleased to learn that they were developed by nurses who knew what patients need to feel comfortable and adequately covered. While at the hospital, I was delighted that I could walk down the hall to rehab, and not worry about rear-end "exposure". I also loved the feel of the fabric, and that my gown had pockets. Therapy is tough, and you never know when you'll need a tissue to wipe a stray tear. The lovely pattern of my gown (I chose the Isabel) was perfect for a mature woman, and the compliments I received from guests and hospital staff certainly made me feel special. The only down-side of the gown was that is was so cute that it almost made me excited about going to the hospital - almost, but not quite. Best wishes for continued success."