On this journey, you are never alone.
A Canadian company, Zippaport, has given away more than 2,600 port access shirts to pediatric cancer patients since 2020. The company was founded by Julie Middleton, after her four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She began by sewing zippers into her daughter’s shirts to allow easier access to the port catheter for her daughter’s medical treatments.
This idea spurred Ms. Middleton to create an entire line of shirts for kids where they can customize the shirts to fit their own personalities. “Hospital stays and clinic days are long and scary for sick kids and their families. Allowing children to get creative and individualize their own port-accessible shirts will provide much-needed fun for these brave kids,” a Zippaport press release stated.
Ahead of Childhood Cancer Awareness month in September, Zippaport is hosting a port shirt packing party where volunteers will pack 500 design-your-own kits to send to sixteen hospitals throughout Canada. Kits will include white Zippaport shirts along with fabric markers donated by Crayola Canada, along with coloring sheets and tie die sets.
