Move It or Lose It | Episode 149 | Lydia Guerrero: Why Infusion Wear?

Move It or Lose It | Episode 149 | Lydia Guerrero: Why Infusion Wear?

Have you ever felt frozen and uncomfortable during your infusion? You don't have to be! Learn about Infusion Wear in this episode!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello, I am your host, Kathy Chester, and welcome to the Move It or Lucid Podcast, a podcast about all things that move the mind, body, and soul. The Move It or Lucid podcast is for information, awareness, and inspirational purposes only. I am not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV. So please consult your doctor before making any medical decisions. The views expressed by advertisers, guests, or contributors are their opinions and not necessarily the views of the Move It or Lose It podcast. Introducing the Pulse Device, cutting-edge, wearable device, revolutionary, wellness designed to stimulate circulation, reduce harsh pain and tightness, and speed up recovery. The Pulse device uses advanced vibro tactile technology trusted by patients, clinicians, and wellness professionals. Whether you're recovering from an injury, battling a neuro condition, or just want to feel the best every day. Pulse helps you rechange, recharge so that you can live and feel better, lightweight, powerful, and easy to use. Experience better performance, better recovery, and a better you. Order now and save $30 using my code MSDisrupted at PaulSdevice.com. The Paul's device is your health recharged. You won't be disappointed. Get it now for yourself. I have it. I love it. Go ahead and grab it. Hello. It is another edition of Move It or Lose It. And today you may recognize this woman. I interviewed Lydia like, gosh, four years ago, maybe. So today I've got Lydia from Infusionware, who I love dearly. She's been in my women's support group. And I just love her. I just have such a strong connection with you, Lydia, with just how you've done things. I can very much just with that connection, just with my own life and how I started out with my gym, and then just how I have done my stuff. It's just a very strong connection how you began Infusion Wear and where you are now. I've got like the first edition of Infusion Wear, which is so cool. And I just loved how you started. And you come so far, and you were um, you came on to my my women's support group, which I loved, and they loved you. And you were able to explain where you started and where you are now, which was so it's just so good to hear, and how your family's so involved, which I loved. I love that, and um just where you were talking to you in the very beginning, and now where you come has just been so cool. And the stuff that you do, especially for all of us who, as you know, get infusions, and it's so uncomfortable to, gosh, for me now, having this, having MS and my other, you know, autoimmune diseases and all the infusions, you're kind of like my right arm because I'm left-handed. I'm like, all right, good luck, good luck to find a vein. And it's just so comforting to have something like this where it unzips and you're able to just, I know the new ones go from the bottom up, but you're able to put your arm out and just say, Okay, go. And you don't have to worry, yeah. I can do my work in there, and I don't have to worry about, you know, trying to get this up or being super uncomfortable, being tight.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Um, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Exactly. It's just, it's so, it's just so comfortable. And it's like I'm there and I've had infusions for over 25 years, and I'm like, why did this just come out? Like, why wasn't this years ago? So talk to me a little bit about what got you started, how you even thought of this, and what finally brought you to, you know, forget it, I'm gonna do this on my own. I'm just gonna go for it. Yeah, so I had been diagnosed with um MS 13 years before.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

What you have MS too? You're in the pub as well. The connection. We have a connection. Yeah, yeah. So I was diagnosed 13 years before this was even in like a thought. Um, and I actually adaptive wear is not my original idea. Um, I actually had come across an ad again, 13 years I've been receiving infusions. And when I had seen an ad for a sweatshirt um with this concept, and this was my first introduction to adaptive wear, I I got so excited because I thought, oh my gosh, this is going to be life-changing sitting in an infusion chair where hospitals are always cold, even on a summer day, hospitals are really, really cold. Yeah. Um, and so I went to purchase it. The price was outrageous. And then I thought, I think I can have this made. So I went to my local Michael store, I bought a little four-inch zipper. I did not know what I was doing. Four inches is nothing, but I bought a four-inch zipper, I bought a sweatshirt, and I went to a seamstress and I had her um put it together for me. And that whole ordeal cost me only $55. Yeah. And so I said, okay, I I can do this, I can do $55. Um, and so my first infusion, I had my infusion, it went great. And I told my husband, we need to start a business, like we need to do this and make this more attainable. First, we have to get the concept of adaptive work out there for sure. Make it uh affordable for everybody, yeah. Um, and so yeah, that's what we did, and that that's that's how we started.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Yeah. And then now your kids, when did they start helping? Because this is like the whole family helps out.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

Yes. So at the time when we started, I had just been laid off from my job of uh 10 and a half years, and um, and I wasn't in a hurry to get back into the workforce. I I did have another job lined up, which was gonna be like six months out. So I had time and I had worked for so long. We my husband and I used to work full-time and go to school full-time and raise our kids. So life had always been busy. And at this point, we were able and we were fortunate enough to slow down. Yeah, um, and so and that's actually the time that my this infusion and this adaptive wear concept um was was introduced, and that's when infusion wear was born. And so I thought I told my husband, like, we need to do this. Um, and he was on board right away, like, I have nothing but time on my hands, so let's he's like, you know, go ahead and do, like, let's do it. And then um, I came home, we told our our two adult children about it at the time, and um, they were like, Okay, mommy, you need to make TikToks and we need to make a website. And I was like, You have to get an Instagram, and up until that point I had only been like uh uh I only viewed people's TikToks, I was never in front of the camera. Um, I wouldn't even comment on things, I was just you know, like a lurker, I don't know. Um and so and that's how we started. Um none of us have a marketing background, none of us have a business background. We are all social workers and teachers. Um and so we we really kind of just found our way. A lot of YouTube channels. Um, yeah. So my one of my sons um did did all of the um our whole website, all of our okay side. That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, it was it was pretty neat. We had a whole photo shoot where my youngest son and my daughter-in-law and my grandbabies are like modeling all of it. Um, so yeah, every time you see every time you see a face, either a male or a female, chances are it's my son or my daughter-in-law uh who's modeling this website. Um, and then my my two grandbabies, which they are that photo shoot was like two years ago. So the littles, the pictures.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

That's really neat. Yeah, so I love that so like the whole family participates. I think that's so important. It just goes to show you like they they understand. I think it's what I love about that too, is you're really you're really helping them understand that there's a whole world, you know, besides the one that everybody's healthy and everybody's doing stuff they enjoy, but there's a whole nother world out there that needs stuff. And in the world we live in, where they think that everything, okay, you're handicapped accessible because you have a bar, you know, in the handicapped stall. So it's like in a world that they don't understand what to do with us or how to help us, you're teaching your kids early and you're helping them understand that this is how we really help handicapped, this is how we really do things. And so I think that's so awesome that you really help with that and them to have understanding. And of course, with mom, that that's a big help.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

Yeah, they do have they've had a lot of hands-on. Um, one so since since we've started and since we last spoke, um my oldest son and his fiancee started a um mobile coffee business, and through that, they were able to um work with like golf tournaments. Okay, work with with like golf tournaments there, and Infusion Air has also been at a few of the golf tournaments, and it's so cool to see how my own kids go and just talk to people and sell our products, like promote our products. I'm an introverted person, it's hard for me to have a conversation. Um, but they they can do it, and I love seeing them just walk and do it. Uh, and so one event I wasn't able to be at, I had I had to work on campus that day. Um, so my other son went, he represented Infusionware. Well, my oldest son represented their coffee business Ambrosia, and he actually got to meet um uh oh my gosh, George Lopez. Oh that's so cool. George Lopez actually receives treatment, so he had a whole story and a whole experience with um George Lopez receiving um an infusion where sweatshirt that was really cool.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

I think there's so there are still so many people who don't know what that means, and so I think that's really awesome, and it's really cool that the boys are doing that because they're they're really just um helping so many people that don't understand what this is and don't understand really how I mean I remember the last infusion I got, it was again it's summer, it was so hot outside, but freezing in the hospital, and I was so grateful to have that, and so it is, it's just it's such a neat idea. And and I think about all the time, like, why didn't we have this? You know, so it's so I'm so grateful that you that you started it, and also the price, you know, it's not something that's so outrageous that people can't afford it, where they're looking at it thinking, okay, if I could afford that, where you know, as you know, um so much marketing on Instagram and stuff like that, you look at it, you're like, sure, I'll get that, you know, I'll buy that tomorrow. And it's like so outrageous. So it's um something that I so appreciated with you is that you kept the price, you know, at something that we can afford. And the other thing too is you have such a beautiful heart at the um what people I think that don't know you is um the last time that you were at our at the women's support group, you did a raffle and you raffled off for one of the women, um, us one of the sweatshirts. And then there's a woman in our in our um group who's battling cancer and just a beautiful woman and just has a heart of gold. And it's really been a struggle for us just to even watch her go through this. And on top of it, she just has such a beautiful, beautiful attitude as she's going through this. Chemo, and you are such a beautiful human that you actually uh you sent her. Uh I can't wait to see it on her. You went ahead and sent it out to her. And um, and you were so, you know, you wanted to know what color she wanted, you let her pick it out. And I think I love the way you've adapted it now. So if the port's going in, you know, for up here, and you've got some photos too to show. And it's as heartbreaking as it is, you even thought further for kids, for children, yeah, which is heartbreaking, but it's something needed and how comfortable that is.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

It's just so sad the fact that I mean, I I always like to say I get excited when we make a sale because someone is like not only is someone hearing about infusion war, but someone's gonna be warm in like their hardest, darkest times. Yes, um, so I always get excited when we make a sale. However, it's always heartbreaking when we make a children's yeah, weapons.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Yeah, it is. It's I don't it's just it just shouldn't be.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

It's yeah, no, it is, but I love that you do because they need to be comfortable in that they're in so much pain. Show us because you've got some of those photos. Show us some of the photos.

SPEAKER_02 13:28

Let me share my screen with you. Let's see.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

I'm glad you're doing that. I don't have to.

SPEAKER_02 13:36

So you should be able to see it. Um this one right here. So this is our children's one. Um, and you'll notice the this one is the unedited version. You can tell I had a cookie right before. Um, and so this one right here, let's see if we're sharing share. Can you see it now? Hopefully you can see it now. Yeah, there we go. There we go. Okay, so this is um our children's adaptive sweatshirt. And what's different about this one is that on the chess port, we don't use zippers, we actually use snap buttons, and they're made of they're um plastic resin, so they're not metal, so there's no metal to it at all. Right, and I know that's a big thing that we were we've been able to hear from parents, the feedback that we've received. Yeah, um, that there's no metal in it because I know sometimes with certain treatments, there's there's different uh different um requirements. Sure, sure. What you can't see in the picture is that behind this little area right here behind this, um, there's a satin backing to it. Oh that it's softer on their little chest area, especially because that's the area that always gets poked and prodded with the ports, and we wanted that just to be like a little bit um softer, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

For them, yeah. No, that's that's so smart.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

Yeah, yeah. So that that that's our children's one of that. So we we currently have um this this ash gray color, we have navy blue, and then we have um pink and purple. I remember one seller in children's is the little pink one. Yeah, is the what? Is the little pink one? Oh, I bet, I bet, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

That's such a it's so beautiful, and it's it is heartbreaking, but to know that they that there's so much care in it, that's so soft, and it would be already a lot of the stuff they have, they can't have metal, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

And it can't have metal on it, so we have the the snap buttons for those ones. Very smart, yeah. And then we we've also um so we started off with sweatshirts, with adult sweatshirts, um with a crew neck. So we do the chest port with the zipper, yes, and then we do the the sleeve like you're wearing, yeah, and then we do the combo because some people need both chest and sleeve, right? Um, and then we ventured, we've also ventured into hoodies. So we just started missing hoodies because for my infusion, you know, when again when I first saw adapted war, it was a crew neck, and that's what I kind of ran with. Right. And then a few years down the road, I thought I'm a hoodie girl. Yeah, me too. When I saw that, I'm like, I want a hoodie, I want a hoodie, I want my hands in my pockets, you know. And so we just launched those. And in September, so we currently have um the hoodies available in black and indigo blue, and it's such a pretty color, yeah. So pretty. Yeah, that's the one that I wore to my last infusion. Okay, um, and then in September, we're gonna be launching a soft pink. So we've we've gotten some women requesting the soft pink, um, and we have those available. So, but I just figured I didn't want to launch it in the summertime. Yeah, I wanted to get the attention of desserts. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

No, that's good. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

We're gonna be, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

I love the hoodie idea because I love I I am I'm always gonna be a hoodie girl. It's just how yes, but I love the idea. And I love yeah, I just love the different changes. What's coming up for you? What are some things that besides the pink hoodie, what are some things that you're looking into now?

SPEAKER_02 17:07

So a few other things that we're looking into is um, so we actually have a gap. We do have a gap. We have our we have the toddlers that we offer and we have the adults that we offer, but there's a children's section that we we haven't targeted yet. Okay, and we've actually just come across that. Um, so we're we're looking at getting our our children's, you know, like the the young adolescents with not not quite adults, but definitely not in the father's eyes. So we're we're looking at launching those soon and also opening up because we do have t-shirts for adults. So if it's just a chess port that they're looking for, um, but I know like in the states where humidity is wildly crazy, um, you nobody's thinking about a sweatshirt, and sometimes um a t-shirt is better. I actually have one client, she purchased three sweatshirts, she was going through a cancer battle, and then her can her chemo had switched up, and she would get really like extremely hot. Oh, sure, sure. You know, and that that's the effect that I had on her body, and so she she was like, you know, I I really I love them, but she I think they would even bring her like ice blankets and stuff. Okay. Like, hey, t-shirts work perfect for her. Yeah, um, and so so we do have a t-shirt line for um adults already, yeah, and we're thinking of expanding our colors on that, and then um again the children's sweatshirt and children's t-shirts.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Yeah, that's a great idea because there are different things. I remember getting chemo years ago, and I would get extremely hot, and so it's true. It's like there are things and there are temperatures, there's weird things that we get, and we're just really hot and then really cold. So it is it is very true. It's very smart. I'd love that you have your pulse on what's happening with what ages, and okay, we're missing this age, we have to make sure we get this age. So it's it's very wise of you to make sure that you're getting, you know, those different ages that you're not missing out on that. So I love that that you do that, and um, and then you're still working, so you're working full time, still working and you're doing this, so it's not like anything's easy for you, you're still very busy. I'm still working on it. Do you ever see yourself doing this full time and not doing your other job or no?

SPEAKER_02 19:28

I I don't yet, um, because my other job, like I pay for an education to do what I do. So I don't want that to fall to the wayside. For sure. So I I definitely like that. And infusion where it has a special place in my heart. Yeah. Um, and I like keeping it what we are. Um and you know, oddly enough, we're still making sales, we're selling sweat tricks in the summertime, you know. And yeah, and so and those are always appreciated. Every time we get a sale, it's it's appreciated. Um, but again, I infusionware for me is something that I like to set time apart for.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

And I like meeting the people and hearing the stories, you know. Yeah, so we have we have an Etsy shop and we have our website. And I even when we have when we make a sale on Etsy, some a lot of times I'll send a message and they'll respond back and they'll say, Oh, I'm looking for my granddaughter, she's two and a half, and we just found out she has leukemia, you know, and so I like having that connection. That connection. Um, so if usual does have a lot of my time, I don't see it having full time, but yeah, it definitely pulls priority. Yeah definitely pulls priority.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

I yeah, I I love that. I I just um and you know I'm gonna promote you like crazy because I just love what you do. Yeah, definitely. And we'll talk about that because I'd love to have you have something like a little shout out on the podcast at the end. Because I think that I just I really love what you do. I think the more people understand, I think the better. Because we, I mean, we know what it's like to get in fusions and be so uncomfortable, or to ask, and it's not the nurse. I mean, nurse, they're just busy and it's like, can I please have a blanket? And you're freezing, can I please have something on me? And mostly it's up here because it's like which is so cold. And um, and it is it's just so smart. And I I always, and if I forget it, I'm like, no, no, because um, it just is, I just I can't say enough about it and about how how you work with it and how smart you guys are with the kids and with each thing that you do. I just um it it's just so it's just so beautiful. And what are some what's some of the feedback that you've that you've received from um some of the some of the women that are liking it? Do they constantly want more colors? Are they always asking that?

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Yes, yes, actually. That that's one of the things too, is is um Colors. Um, but I had um I actually had someone ask me um about my infusions and she she first just what she actually found us on TikTok. Um so the TikTok videos are paying off.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Um I know I'm like really how many of these do I have to do?

SPEAKER_02 22:15

But yeah, they are good, they do pay off. Like, I hate looking at myself, but let's do it, you know. Um, and so she purchased one on TikTok and then she messaged me um because you know I share my MS stories on there as well. And um, she actually asked one time, she was like, Oh, how are your infusions going? And I was like, Oh, wow, that's so fine. Like, that's really cool, right? And we actually had um, we like we have each other's phone number now. And it's funny because she asked, um, you know, how my infusion was or how often I get it. And I told her I receive my infusions only once a year, which is good for my MS, but it's bad for business because I can't always take promotional pictures, right? Right. Um, right, and she actually she receives her treatments every two weeks. Oh, wow. Yeah, which is which is quite frequent. Yeah, and so she's like, I'd be happy to send you pictures. And she's so nice. Oh, I love that. Because you know, it's it's uh I want to promote, obviously, right? And I want to promote, like, hey, look, people are actually using our products, right? But and it's also I don't want to be invasive, like, hey, can I put your picture on our social media? Yeah, I feel like that's that's uh kind of impersonal. Yeah, um, and I do ask, don't get me wrong, I have asked people before and they've been like, Yeah, sure. Oh, yeah, or when they don't respond, I know, like, hey, okay, that's that's a no, that's fine, that's fine.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

I don't want to put out there. Um I would go for testimonials and stuff because yeah I've always found that people are more than willing to do that. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:47

And so um, yeah, so so she's you know, like I'm you know, excited, like, okay, um, and then just just being able to share different stories, like right, okay, what do you receive infusions for? Or you know, Crohn's lupus, different things. Um, oh, and you know, the the the most um heartwarming is when people share, oh, I'm buying it for my mom or my dad who has dialysis. And for some reason, I don't know, I've never experienced dialysis, but for some reason, hospitals are already cold, but I feel like dialysis patients just have it freezing, like wow, freezing experiences. They go super early in the morning. Yeah, most of them are already elderly, so they're already sensitive to um temperatures, sure, and then and and in the morning, a lot of times it's freezing, right? Absolutely you're in a you're in a clinic or a hospital that's cold.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

And so yeah, and then you gotta think about the others to get infusions that aren't blood thinners and they're freezing all the time. Yes, so that's a big one. Anemia, the ion iron infusion, yeah. So there's so many things that this is so important for that you know we don't think of because we know our infusions, yeah, but it is um, yeah, it's just there's so and I would love to when I go in, I want I want to get um some feedback from the nurses and just um I would love to see them promote, you know, for it. I'd love to see them do something.

SPEAKER_02 25:13

Yeah, I've actually heard a lot a lot of times I hear um, you know, thank you so much. My nurse even loved it. My nurse had never seen anything like this before, like a lot of feedback from nurses being happy with it and like hey, we're making your job easier. Yeah, absolutely, or not easier, but you know, helping it for sure, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

Well, it is easier, especially for them to get to, you know, it's for the IV and stuff. I think it's they love it. So yeah, I've absolutely love it.

SPEAKER_02 25:41

Um, I have had nurses look at me like, okay, you're wearing a sweatshirt, like, and then I'll just do the zipper and the cut. Yeah, oh right, that's cool. Okay, good. We can work with this.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Absolutely. They love that. I I know that my nurses have been like, oh, this is great. So yeah, I really like it. So I'd love to have I need to I meant to do that last time, so I'm gonna have the nurses do a little thing. So I'll give you a little promo video with the nurse. So, but you know how much I love you, and I want to do this a little check-in with you um every couple months, and it'd be fun to do with the girls that got theirs and just to see um, just to see how they felt and how they do it theirs. So we'll do a little promo.

SPEAKER_02 26:19

Those are so cool, like those women are they're they're yeah, they're pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_00 26:23

They loved having you on, so but you know how excited I am to have you on. I'm just so proud of what you're doing, and so definitely check in with me all the time. Let me know how it's going, what um what you're doing, and I think it's just so important. And I'll have everywhere they can get to you at the end of the podcast so that they can see um what where do you find you on Etsy and where to find you on the website and all that. So that will be at the bottom of the show notes, guys. So don't forget to look at that when you're um other when you're listening to the podcast. Obviously, you're gonna see it on YouTube. Anywhere that you get your podcast, you're gonna see it. And don't forget to check it out. And you know how much I love you, Lydia. It's so great to have you on. I love having you on. I'd love to be able to show off what you're doing and um just check it out, check us out, and we'd love to have you on move or lose it. Don't forget, if you don't move your body, you will lose that. So we've got to move it. So happy, happy today. I can't today's what Thursday? Yes, so you'll see this on a Wednesday. I don't know which one, but tune in. Thank you guys for tuning in. Don't forget, subscribe. Don't just like it, but subscribe. And thank you, thank you, Lydia. And I'll have you back soon. And guys, have a great day. Bye for now. Thank you so much for joining me for another episode of the Move It or Lose It Podcast. It would mean the world to me if you subscribed and left a review. Remember, you can find me on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube. New episodes of the Move It or Lose It Podcast air every other Wednesday. If you have any suggestions for future guests or topics, please visit my website at www.msdisrupted.com. Until next time.