When You Feel Your Worst, Dress Your Best

We’ve all been there. Joining the sweatsuit mafia… especially during Covid lockdown, where pants are always optional. 

Being paralyzed and sitting constantly causes a lot of strain on my skin. Keeping my bum healthy has been a main priority since day one in the hospital. I don’t talk about it often but I actually developed a pressure sore on my tailbone when I was hospitalized in 2017 because doctors and nurses had to choose how much I could move side to side while I was hooked up to the ventilator. When they told me that I had a wound developing I didn’t think much of it at the time because it seemed so minimal compared to… ya know, fighting paralysis, pneumonia, and everything in between. This “wound” actually became the bane of my existence for well over a year. So much so that I actually had a surgery done and went on bed rest for months. Skin breakdown is one of the biggest threats to anyone with a spinal cord injury. And what is constantly touching your skin?… Clothing!

Before my injury you could pretty much find me in dirty biker jeans, a T-shirt and maybe a sweatshirt or a jacket if it was cold. I would switch between my cowboy boots & my skateboarding shoes. I always jumped on the opportunity to throw on a suit for a wedding. Truthfully, I was just finding my wardrobe niche right before I was shot. Then came the dreaded SCI wardrobe malfunction.

Weight gain, muscles relaxing, muscle atrophy, risk of skin breakdown, temperature control issues. Sitting is a hard look to rock! Most outfits just aren’t made to be worn in a chair. The thing that I find difficult is trying clothing on. I get dressed in bed with help so it’s not like using a changing room is really an option. It’s taken a lot of trial and error to find the right pair of pants or the perfect top for me. Suit measurements and tailoring has been a reoccurring issue as my body continues to adapt to paralysis. 

For years it had just become easier for me to wear comfy sweatpants or jogger sweatpants with a baggy hoodie or a loose shirt. it just made sense to prioritize comfort over fashion. Regardless, I was always on the hunt for an adaptive pair of jeans that I could wear but they all just seemed so ludicrously priced. There is a lot that goes into adaptive pants. They can’t have a seam that you’re sitting on, no back pockets. they have to be longer in the crotch, some of them have hidden Velcro openings to give you access to catheters or leg braces and the inseam often has to be longer to accommodate a bent leg. 

Recently I’ve been trying to prioritize fashion again while also staying safe in my paralyzed body. I found the perfect pair of jeans, stylish and discreet adaptive shoe wear, some quality larger clothing and some watches and leather pushing gloves that makes sense for me to wear. I will attach all of the links for adaptive clothing brands that I’ve found at the bottom (at least the ones that have helped me).

I’m sure I will still rock my signature look which is now joggers, a loose top & backwards hat with my converse but I will also be enjoying the days where I can throw on some jeans or khakis, a dressier shirt, some fresh kicks and a shiny solid timepiece. That is always a sure way to boost my serotonin levels and put a little pep in my step! Stay classy friends! **Links below**

God Bless!

Adaptive / Inclusive Brands: 

1. Kinetic Balance  https://www.kinetic-balance.com/

2. Target / JC Penny  https://www.jcpenney.com/s?searchTerm=adaptive

3. Tommy Hilfiger https://usa.tommy.com/en/tommy-adaptive

Men’s Jeans (I wear a size 36, a little loose but fit me perfectly) : https://www.jcpenney.com/p/arizona-seated-adaptive-advance-flex-360-mens-straight-leg-jean/ppr5008102435?pTmplType=regular

Footwear: 

1. Billy Footwear https://billyfootwear.com/

2. Zubits magnetic lacing solution https://zubits.com/

Wheelchair Push Gloves / Gloves:

1. Gloves For Life https://www.glovesforlife.com/

2. Generic Wide Receiver Gloves