Wow ya’ll!
I’ve spent the last week working away at so many things (in addition to my paying job) for lipedema. I feel that 2022 is the year that we’re making a giant leap in research, awareness, and serving the sometimes looked-over community with lipedema.
I’ve just posted about my involvement with the Lipedema Education Group, and it’s just been so amazing to be in the presence of people who live and breathe our condition, seeing and treating patients daily.
I’ve also spent the weekend WITH our community doing focus groups for what we need in shoes. It’s been the most fun ever to hear the ideas, to chat with and get to know the real people that I talk to online all the time as we dream of a day when we have BOOTS THAT FIT and DRESS SHOES. I’ve just enjoyed the discussions so much. And I’ve shed a few tears during the calls as I relate so much to the challenges that we’ve all overcome as our conditions progressed.
I’m SO hopeful that this one thing I can do will make a difference in many lives. One of my favorite parts of the zooms was to be able to share a few ideas about how we can make boots to adapt to our sizes, sandals with adjustable uppers that can also be swapped out, and amazing, glorious dress shoes that don’t hurt our feet! I get excited when the participants give good feedback and constructive ideas. It’s just been wonderful.
Also this week, I’ve had another opportunity to meet with the lovely, pleasant and experienced Susannah Davda, who is the Director of the Shoe Consultant. Susannah is walking me through the user centered design process as we digest all of the information from the focus groups and get to know our shoe consumers in depth. She’s had me working this week on how we want to represent the shoe brand by understanding the words we use when we talk about ourselves and our lives.
I’m being a good and patient student (I move fast in real life) and am doing my homework. I’ve been able to identify words we use, words I don’t want to use, and words I do want to use in my branding. The idea behind everything I do is to live the best lives we can and to find our beauty as is, right now. Words like success, style, beauty, support, comfort, happiness, color, fun come to mind when I think about the kind of shoes I want to make. And those are words tha many of us have deleted from our vocabularies but are going to get back.
I’ve never been more hopeful as a woman with lipedema. I’m thrilled research is getting closer to identifying our genes, our root causes, and treatments. I’m inspired to be with medical professionals who love their jobs and us, and I’m frankly, surprised that someone like Susannah exist and are here to help me walk through the process of making a difference in your lives. LIfe is really good, and it’s wayyyy to short for us to have sore feet!
Until next time friends, stay hopeful and help someone else, even in the smallest of ways.
Susan
