Dream Sleeves

The LympheDivas bring style to a side effect of cancer treatment.

by Elisa Ludwig

In some ways, fighting breast cancer was the easy part for 36-year-old documentarian/graphic designer Rachel Troxell. When she learned last year that she had developed lymphedema, an incurable and chronic side effect of surgery and radiation that causes the lymph nodes, limbs and extremities to swell, she was crushed. She'd been warned about the possibility of lymphedema — up to 30 percent of breast cancer survivors experience it — but the reality of managing the swelling while worrying about infection and decreased range of motion for the rest of her life was overwhelming.

"It was devastating, because you know you can get past the cancer, but the lymphedema is a lifelong issue," says Troxell, who turned to an experimental hyperbaric oxygen therapy to reduce the swelling. When that didn't work she had to resort to the conventional therapy, a 24-hour compression garment, which, in Troxell's case, was a Band-Aid-nude sleeve and glove that were hot, itchy and generally uncomfortable. She hated it.

Throughout her treatment, Troxell had been corresponding with Robin Miller, a 23-year-old graphic design student who was diagnosed with cancer in her last semester at Drexel and who was introduced to Troxell by mutual friends. Soon after Troxell's diagnosis, Miller found out that she, too, had lymphedema and was advised to wear a sleeve.

"I cried for two hours to Rachel," says Miller. "I was like, 'I'm not wearing this for the rest of my life.' And then we decided we had to come up with something else."

READY TO WEAR: (L-R) Robin Miller, Rachel Troxell and Kristin Dudley display their products at their University City offices. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Miller set up a breakfast meeting at Honey's Sit 'n' Eat with classmate Kristin Dudley, a fashion design graduate of Drexel. Dudley was immediately on board with the mission. "My grandmother had lymphedema and she refused to wear her sleeve because she was very fashion forward," says Dudley. "Instead, she would have to hang her arm by the bedside at night to drain the fluid."

Together, the three women hashed out plans for improving the compression sleeves. The biggest issue with the existing sleeves was their clinical "skin" color. ("It's like you're hiding, but clearly something is wrong with your arm," says Troxell.) At first they considered dyeing or silk-screening the nude sleeves, but these ideas proved impractical.

They decided that their new-and-improved sleeves would be made from scratch and available in several colors and three ready-to-wear sizes. Making entirely new sleeves also gave them the opportunity to address comfort issues, so they planned to construct them from athletic-style wicking fabric and make them extra soft.

In addition to creating compression garments, they knew they wanted to promote awareness about lymphedema. "Since it's not always life-threatening, very little money goes into lymphedema research, and there's not a lot of support or information out there," says Troxell. "We want to make sure people know what it is and how it can be treated."

At Dudley's suggestion, they developed a business plan for their fledgling company and entered it in a competition at Drexel's Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship in Technology. Their plan came in third place, winning them $4,000, office space, mentorship and access to workshops on marketing and finance.

"The thing that appealed to me most about this project is you're dealing with something that will make a positive difference in people's lives," says Baiada Executive Director Mark Loschiavo.

Right away, the sleeve project seemed viable. An early focus group bore out Troxell and Miller's theory that women with lymphedema were looking for more attractive garments. They first approached the major sleeve manufacturers about collaboration but were turned down. Then, a major R&D facility agreed to help them develop their product. Dozens of meetings later, a slip of the tongue gave the group their name and LympheDivas was born.

LympheDivas had its public debut at the Race for the Cure in Baltimore in October. As early as six in the morning, Miller says, women approached their booth and began thanking them for coming up with a better product.

Since then, word of mouth has spread and the company, with no formal advertising, has been taking orders over the Internet. Last month, the first shipment of product arrived, and the goal now is to develop brand recognition and sell the sleeves both online and through breast cancer boutiques.

The sleeves, which come in onyx, fuchsia, azure, gold shimmer and silver shimmer, are sold in pantyhose-like flat packets decorated with fashion sketches of lithe women in chic outfits, their long graceful arms wrapped in LympheDiva sleeves and gauntlets. Dudley believes that it's this woman-focused marketing strategy that will make all the difference. "What we say is, 'Replace your medical device with a fashion accessory.'"

LympheDivas may be the first company outside of designer eyewear manufacturers to bring style to the medical world. "Most of the people making these products are middle-aged white guys, and they don't see a need for colors. But we are our customers and we know what we want," Troxell says.

The company plans to expand eventually into other compression garments, such as tank tops and sleeves with higher compression and more intricate surface designs. Troxell believes that since breast cancer survivors are often advised to wear sleeves prophylactically, the potential consumer base may be anywhere between 600,000 and 1 million women. Add those numbers to the possibility that many customers will want to buy more than one garment to coordinate with different outfits, and there's major growth potential for the business.

Traditional sleeves average between $50 and $80, while LympheDiva sleeves cost between $90 and $100. Troxell believes it's a small price to pay to feel better. "You know, I hate the word 'empower' but when you have lymphedema you just feel deformed. It's only common sense to give women something that will make them feel beautiful, strong and in control."

(e_ludwig@citypaper.net)

For more information on LympheDivas, visit www.lymphedivas.com, e-mail info@lymphedivas.com or call 866-411-DIVA.