A mum whose only goal was to make sure her daughter could have fun on the school playground has ended up with her own successful business.
Jennifer Harrison from Michigan in the US was dismayed last winter when nine-year-old daughter Zoey came home from school and complained that getting bundled up to go outdoors was an inconvenience.
Zoey has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound.
“She would come home and she’d say, ‘My blanket fell off in recess and it got caught in my wheel,’ and ‘By the time I’m done getting ready, I get outside and the bell rings’,” Jennifer said on Good Morning America.
Jennifer decided to buy two coats and sew them together end-to-end, creating a snug pouch for Zoey’s legs. She also modified the coat to allow it to fit Zoey’s wheelchair easily.
The ‘bodycoat’ let the girl get ready to go outside quickly and kept her super snug.
Jennifer posted a video of her invention in action – and was blown away by the response.
The video has been viewed over 11 million times in the past year and prompted thousands of people to get in touch, asking Jennifer to make more of her bodycoats.
Knowing they were on to something, Jennifer and her husband John set up their own business making bodycoats.
Kids and adult sizes are now available to buy through their company X Ability.
Jennifer and John adopted Zoey as a one-year-old. She’s one of eleven kids in the family.
“When I did this, I purely did it to help her,” Jennifer said.
“If I was a millionaire, I’d make them and give them away. We are at the point where we want to find an investor.”
