Our Story

Hello, my name is Linda, the inventor of “the Isocushion”. I want to share with you a little story of why it came into existence. My hope is that this story will illustrate that “the cushion” was created to bring comfort to a loved one.

In 2009 I received a call from my daughter, Nicole, asking me if I would be willing to go from my home in South Dakota to Ravenna, Nebraska to care for her grandmother, (my ex-mother-in-law) Leota. She was living on her farm all alone at 90 years old and suffered from osteoarthritis and poor vision due to macular degeneration. Her chronic pain and poor vision confined her to her recliner ninety percent of the time, not only to sit all day but to sleep as well. It was very difficult for her to prepare her meals and do everyday tasks. During my conversation with my daughter, she stated that the doctors didn't believe that with the many health conditions Leota suffered, she would live more than 6 more months.

Shortly after I arrived at the farm and started her care, it was time to take her to her doctor visit which she had every three months. On that first visit I told the doctor that she kept mentioning how her tail bone hurt, and because of her osteoarthritis, I assumed that was the cause of her pain. However, his reply to me was that it was not her tailbone that caused the pain, it was the fact she was suffering from sitting sores.

So over the next few weeks we tried all of the suggestions the doctor gave us, including an inflatable doughnut, egg carton foam and even an extremely heavy prescription gel pad. None of these things gave her any relief. I decided it was time for me to take action myself. I went to the fabric store, purchased purchased the materials and created a cushion that I believed could help her. I had her sit on it and she said it felt a lot better, so that's what she sat on until we went to her next doctor’s appointment almost three months later. After her normal check-up, I asked the doctor if he would check the sitting sores. After his examination, his exact words were, “I have never seen them get better, they only get worse.”

Her comfort level was now greatly improved and that six months turned into nearly six years. Now at home again, I needed employment, so I applied for a job with an in-home care company and was assigned to a wonderful gentleman. Like Leota, he also had many health issues that confined him to his recliner ninety percent of the time. Immediately, I noticed he had the same sitting sores as Leota. The next time I saw his daughter I told her about my mother-in-law and asked her if it would be alright with the family if I made him a cushion. Her response was that they had tried everything for three years, spent a lot of money, numerous visits to wound care and nothing helped. So the next week when I returned to his home, I brought the cushion that I made for him over the weekend. Several weeks later his daughter came to take him to the doctor and wound care. When she returned, she said that they only visited the doctor and skipped wound care because the cushion had helped so much she didn't feel it was necessary.

As I have continued to make cushions for other people, all have told me how much relief they have received from the "IsoCushion”. My hope is that you will receive the same comfort and relief these other users have experienced.

Sincerely,

Linda