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Sew Much Comfort

At three years of age Ginger Dosedel’s son, Mike, was diagnosed with stage IV Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare pediatric cancer. Radiation and chemotherapy ultimately damaged the growth plates in his right femur bone, hindering proper bone development.

Over the next 11 years, Mike underwent a series of processes known as “Limb Lengthening”. Mike was periodically fit with a bulky, limb-lengthening fixator, a metal halo or scaffolding attached to his bones with metal stakes to stretch the bone apart and hold it in the desired position as it heals. Through this process, Mike’s leg was able to keep in reasonable proportion to the rest of his growth.

But much more of a challenge was finding clothing to fit over, and accommodate, these large, cumbersome medical devices. With the help of her mother-in-law and a good friend, Ginger learned how to sew and created special adaptive clothing in order to free Mike from the infamous hospital gowns that leave very little room for modesty. The idea was simple - to rip out the seams in boxers and enlarge pant patterns where necessary. One of the greatest inventions of the last century, Velcro, was used to allow the outside seams to open and make the clothing functional, working around the medical device. The new found clothing enabled Mike to return to school, regain his independence in dressing, and feel comfortable in public once again.

With Ginger’s husband’s service in the military, Mike was able to receive medical attention at Walter Reed Hospital. During his physical therapy sessions, he met and befriended several wounded service personnel. Many of these war-related injuries placed the service members in a similar situation to Mike’s - the need for medical devices that made dressing difficult or impossible. Day-to-day attire consisted of that wonderful hospital gown many of us have experienced, also.

Being happy with his mother’s invented clothing, Mike suggested that she make some garments for his new-found military friends. Ginger decided to further investigate the need for such an idea. Her clothing donations were greeted with great anticipation and delight, as no special clothing was available for the wounded troops to help them re-establish their dignity.

The response from the service members solidified the need for the clothing. The first patient to received the altered clothing was a young female who had worn nothing but a hospital gown since being injured in an IED explosion nine months prior. With an upcoming interview and a talk scheduled at a nearby elementary school, she was afraid she would be unable to keep either appointment because of the lack of clothing. When Ginger came through with her new clothing line, tears of joy were shed as she dressed to attend both appointments.

Reluctant to attend his Purple Heart ceremony with nothing but a hospital gown, a young man was thrilled to learn that Ginger was able to supply him with the appropriate clothing to wear. He stood proudly, received his Purple Heart, and worried not a stitch about looking “indecent”.

As time progressed, the need and demand for the adapted clothing line grew at a furious pace. Ginger realized it was time to buckle down, organize and obtain the help she so desperately needed to fulfill the growing need for her clothing. A friend, Michele Cuppy from Minnesota, was eager to work with Ginger to create the clothing for the wounded troops. Thus, late in December of 2004, the organization, “Sew Much Comfort”, was born.

Having no idea of the number of wounded, or just how much clothing was needed for the recovering service personnel, the two women decided to prepare 100 pairs of fixator pants and adapted boxers to start with. From there, the need grew for clothing to be developed for amputees, burn victims, traumatic brain injury patients and those with many other medical needs. Shirts were soon added to help those who had upper extremity mobility issues during recovery.The growing need for adaptive clothing was spreading by word of mouth across the country. Along with that came the need for volunteers to sew as well as donations of fabric and other materials. A website was designed to help provide information for those who might be interested: www.sewmuchcomfort.org. Dozens of contacts were received from military medical facilities asking how they could obtain and distribute the adaptive clothing. The volunteer network was expanding thanks to the generosity of American seamstresses. Regional Directors were assigned to keep in contact with the seamstresses in their area and state. In 2006, a distribution facility in Beavercreek, Ohio, was established through the generosity of a local businessman, Alan Eakle, who provided the facility at no cost for the first year, and since then has received a small fee to cover only the cost of the mortgage on the facility.

All of the modified clothing is disassembled from off-the-rack clothing or created from scratch using Sew Much Comfort patterns. Select seams are replaced with velcro closures. Items such as full length access pants, shirts, shorts, popular tees, scrubs and polo shirts, male and female undergarments and swimwear are altered. Other items include crutch transport bags, transport socks, bedrail organizers, hats, mitts, cast covers, lap robes and pillows. Many major manufacturers, retailers and private businesses have donated to this project.

This gratifying story was brought to the attention of the Chief Engineer by retired Air Force pilot Craig Christen. Craig and his wife, Terilu, had been enjoying retirement from the military by traveling across the country when he decided to direct some of their time to a beneficial volunteer project. Craig and Terilu’s daughter presently serves as a fighter pilot in the Air Force. With their continued involvement in the military community, Sew Much Comfort was brought to their attention. Traveling across the country in their motorhome provided Craig and Terilu with the perfect opportunity to organize meetings and sewing demonstrations to recruit volunteers.

Enlisting the help of a friend, Barbara Kistner became deeply involved in Sew Much Comfort. Barb, a Chicago native and retired school teacher, has donated her sewing expertise to helping the cause. She and her husband, Ken, are also touring the country enabling them to set up volunteer groups wherever their travels take them. Barbara was instrumental in obtaining a sizeable grant from a nationally known retailer.

To date, wounded service personnel in over 100 locations have been given, free of charge, over 50,000 pieces of altered clothing. In recognition of their service, Sew Much Comfort has received hundreds of letters from wounded service personnel, from privates to generals, doctors, nurses and especially the medical personnel, thanking Sew Much Comfort for their continued dedicated work. Sew Much Comfort is currently serving military medical installations and hospitals in this country and Germany, Veteran Administration Medical Centers, and in-theatre combat hospitals throughout Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. Numerous military and civilian newspapers and magazines have written stories. Accolades and special honors include Newmans Own Award (2006), Ervin J. Nutter Humanitarian Award (2007), The Daughters of the American Revolution Community Service Award (2007), and the National Military Family Associations “Very Important Patriot” Award (2008). In March of 2007, Charles Gibson featured Sew Much Comfort on the ABC Evening News by recognizing Ginger as the “Person of the Week”. Her most memorable honor was an invitation to the White House where President Bush personally honored the entire Sew Much Comfort network for their dedication in helping the wounded men and women who are serving our country and have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Today, politics has taken over the prime time evening news, and everyone has a tendency to focus on the stock market or the housing situation, all well and good. But if it weren’t for the young military volunteers serving our country, there could be much worse on the evening news. Let’s not forget to give serious thought to our wounded warriors’ mission. We stand to applaud Ginger Dosedel, Michele Cuppy, and the Sew Much Comfort volunteers working so hard on their mission:

To provide custom-made, adaptive clothing, free of charge, to our injured service members, which aides in their recovery, provides a tangible reminder of our gratitude for their sacrifice, and gives them an added measure of comfort and freedom as they recover from their injuries and return to everyday life. Adaptive clothing accommodates their medical devices and situations, provides ease of use, increases personal independence and minimizes the visual impact of their medical condition.

If you may be interested in this project, they are in need of more volunteers and donations. Being a Not-for-Profit organization, there’s always room for help! If you wish to provide assistance or have further questions, please see their website, www.sewmuchcomfort.org, or contact Sew Much Comfort’s Distribution Facility, 3170 Rodenbeck Dr., Beavercreek, OH 45432, or call 937.426.6730.

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