When Lisa F. Crites covered health and medical stories as a broadcast journalist, she never imagined she would one day become part of the narrative she so often reported. Years of interviewing breast cancer patients and medical professionals took an unexpected turn when she received her own cancer diagnosis, setting her on a path that would revolutionize post-surgery recovery for patients worldwide.
The transition from journalist to inventor began shortly after Crites left television news and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following her bilateral mastectomy in June 2009, she encountered a problem that would spark her entrepreneurial journey: the inability to shower safely while recovering with surgical drains.
“I quickly saw a need for a water-resistant product like The SHOWER SHIRT®. After my mastectomy surgery, my surgeon told me I would have surgical drains which could not get wet. Unfortunately, I did not realize the drains would be four feet in length, from my chest to my knees. I was also told I could not shower until the drains were removed,” Crites explained.
Her search for existing solutions came up empty. Before The SHOWER SHIRT® entered the market, patients recovering from chest surgeries faced limited options – either avoiding showers for weeks or improvising with trash bags and duct tape. This gap in the healthcare market prompted Crites to leverage her extensive network of medical contacts built during her journalism career.
“I believe my work as a medical journalist helped me become a patented inventor of a Class 1 Medical Device. For my medical stories, I interviewed a myriad of clinicians through the years, with many focused on breast cancer topics, and the surrounding clinical protocols (which are entirely different for each patient). That knowledge helped me when I was diagnosed, and underwent mastectomy surgery, which subsequently led me to create this product,” Crites shared..
The resulting innovation is a patented, water-resistant garment designed to protect surgical drain sites from tap water, which often contains bacteria and pathogens that can cause water borne infections. While initially conceived for mastectomy patients, the product’s applications have expanded significantly. Today, it serves patients with chemotherapy ports, dialysis catheters, wound vacs, infusion pumps, central lines, and those recovering from various surgeries including cardiac, lung, rotator cuff, and bariatric procedures.
The journey from concept to commercialization proved challenging. Despite battling two life-threatening infections, undergoing four months of hyperbaric oxygen treatments, and enduring seven additional surgeries, Crites brought her invention to market in April 2011 – less than two years after her breast cancer diagnosis and initial surgery.
“It was exceedingly difficult being diagnosed with breast cancer, as I had watched many patients go through the disease and struggle, so I knew that my diagnosis was not going to be physically or mentally easy,” Crites reflected on the obstacles she faced.
Since its launch, the innovative medical garment has achieved remarkable recognition. The company has shipped products to 19 countries and garnered numerous accolades, including a recent nomination for induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Other honors include the InnovateHER award, sponsored by the Small Business Administration, Washington Post, and Microsoft, and international recognition from the London Science Museum, which featured the product in its Science Innovation Exhibit across 78 European locations.
The invention has also captured media attention, with features in Forbes Magazine, Huffington Post, and Reader’s Digest, as well as coverage on major television networks including FOX, CBS, NBC, and CNN. In 2015, the University of Portugal’s Cattolica School of Business & Economics presented Crites with a Patient Innovation Award, and she was invited to present at the World Government Summit in the United Arab Emirates at the request of Dubai’s ruler.
Operating the business requires the same round-the-clock dedication Crites once applied to journalism. “Being an entrepreneur is a never-ending job. Being the owner of a start-up company, like The SHOWER SHIRT® company, also seems like a never-ending responsibility. We have patients who call us and need our product as soon as possible because they cannot shower after surgery,” she explained, noting that orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours to ensure patients can shower safely as soon as possible.
The company has strategically maintained its focus on chest surgery recovery needs while expanding its product line to include various colors and sizes. Technology plays a crucial role in reaching customers, with online sales and social media communities, particularly breast cancer support groups, driving awareness and distribution.
Looking ahead, Crites sees continued growth potential as surgical procedures remain a constant in healthcare. “I have had many doctors state that wound care continues to evolve. With that said, I believe that our company will continue to scale as patients will be required to undergo surgery, thus, our product will continue to help patients when in need to protect surgical drain sites and wounds, catheters and ports from tap water, thus decreasing water-borne illnesses,” she stated.
The entrepreneurial journey has taught Crites valuable lessons about innovation. “It is harder to bring a product to market which has never existed, versus a product which exists, where one can alter it a small percent and then relaunch. This was so helpful for me as I knew I was bringing a product to market which had never existed; thus, it was going to take a lot of diligence and fortitude, plus education to the public, once we launched,” she shared.
Despite the personal origins of the invention, Crites emphasizes its broader purpose: “I didn’t create this product for me. I created it for the hundreds of thousands of future breast cancer patients who will endure mastectomy surgery. I’ve always felt that if patients have the option to shower and feel better physically, by having a safe product to shower in, they will feel better emotionally, and psychologically, something which is gravely needed after a breast cancer diagnosis, and mastectomy surgery.”
With more than one million potential patients in the United States alone who could benefit from The SHOWER SHIRT®, and breast cancer diagnoses continuing to rise globally, Crites’s transformation from medical journalist to medical device inventor represents not just a personal triumph over adversity, but a lasting contribution to patient care and recovery worldwide.
