Have you ever felt compelled? Really, truly, wholly compelled? I have. GO Lisey is about a vision, a feeling, a desire to make the scary, the crappy, the painful stuff in life better. A year ago, I was going through radiation, feeling depressed going in to that closet of awful hospital gowns, and I knew I had to do something for myself---seriously the fabrics on those things were from the 50’s, they reminded me of bad, mint green formica! The best design out of the bunch was snowflakes and it was Spring and dammit I didn’t want to wear snowflakes in April! Those stupid hospital gowns made me feel like I had cancer, like some sick person and that was not who I wanted to be. So on April 12th, I declared that I was going to make my own gowns. I was having a Kick Cancer’s Ass party with my girlfriends (note—this is a great idea. Only fabulous, killer shoes allowed) and I told them my idea and they cheered me on.
I made my own gowns and everyone who saw them or heard about them, connected with them, a visceral connection to the concept. They got it. People understand that life keeps coming and it’s how we approach it that matters.
I kept revising the gowns, tweaking them, trying to get it right…or at least so I could have it cover my back and still be able to slip it off on the radiation table! I’m not the best seamstress in the world, but I kept sewing anyway. The radiation technicians offered up ideas, the oncological nurse had thoughts, the whole team took an interest. As a note, the only other homemade gown they had ever seen was a Super Woman cape which sounds fun, but not exactly my style either!
By Easter last year, we were floating names up for a company and GO Lisey was in motion. It took on a life of it’s own. I became bolder, determined, tenacious in making GO Lisey real. People, resources, connections aligned to help me along the way. Being compelled does that. It truly does.
The vision for GO Lisey came to me as I was waking up one morning (that delicious space between dreaming and waking) and I knew with all certainty that the vision of GO Lisey was to uplift the daily mood of patients and their support circles. Verbatim, that’s what hit me.
So today, I am welcoming the first of many products to the come, the Glam Gown. Meant to inspire inner Glam, a positive outlook, and just plain feeling fabulous.
GO Lisey is about doing something with the crap that happens. What will you do?