Bridging the Gap Between Medicine and Humanity: Zip With Us® and the Future of Patient Advocacy
In the high-tech, fast-paced world of modern medicine, it's easy to focus on protocols, diagnoses, and outcomes. But at Zip With Us®, we believe healing is not just about medicine—it is also about dignity, functionality, safety, and compassion.
That’s why we’re committed to bridging the gap between clinical care and the human experience of patients and families navigating complex medical journeys. Every custom ZipShirt™ and Drew’s Cruiser™ we provide is more than just a piece of adaptive clothing—it’s a statement of advocacy, empathy, and empowerment.
Where Medicine Meets Meaning
Children and families facing chronic or critical illness often find themselves in sterile rooms, wearing hospital gowns that expose more than they protect, surrounded by machines, lines, and unfamiliar routines. And without an adaptive garment, many children must completely remove their clothing just to allow caregivers access to lines, ports, G-tubes, or wound vacs—even for a quick check or adjustment.
Some children have ports in their chests, G-tubes in their stomachs, or multiple access sites under their arms. Others have sensory challenges that make clothing changes traumatic. Many need to shower or change clothes while still connected to monitors or medical devices.
These realities are not rare. They're daily life for thousands of families—and they deserve better solutions.
That’s exactly why Zip With Us® exists—to bring dignity and ease where it’s needed most.
We create adaptive garments that allow for quick, targeted medical access—zippers, velcro, buttons, pockets, and ties placed exactly where they’re needed, antimicrobial fabrics for protection, soft seams for sensitive skin, and thoughtful design that supports real-life care routines. These aren’t afterthoughts. They’re a new standard in compassionate care.
Advocating Through Design
At Zip With Us®, we design to the patient, for the patient—always. Our mission is to make sure every child feels supported, not just medically, but emotionally and physically too. A child should be able to feel prepared for treatment, not stressed by unnecessary discomfort or exposure.
As humans, we instinctively prepare and dress for the day ahead. We wear elegant gowns for weddings, hard hats for construction, SPF shirts for sun protection, hiking boots for trails, and shirt-and-tie combos for presentations. Why shouldn’t our most vulnerable children have the same thoughtful preparation for their daily medical realities?
We believe they should.
The Future of Patient Advocacy
As medicine evolves, so must our approach to patient care. At Zip With Us®, we’re not just imagining a future where custom adaptive garments are standard in every children’s hospital—we’re building it.
With partnerships in over 165 pediatric hospitals and counting, we are leading a national movement that redefines what compassionate, patient-centered care looks like. We believe that every medically complex child deserves access to clothing and accessories designed specifically for their needs—at no cost to their family.
This is the future of patient advocacy: where comfort and care go hand in hand, where design thinking meets bedside reality, and where philanthropy and innovation unite to create lasting, systemic change.
And we’re proud to be at the forefront—one adapted garment, one hospital, one child at a time.
Because comfort is care. And every child deserves both.
Want to Help?
Support our mission by donating, volunteering, or purchasing additional garments through our online shop. Together, we can continue bridging the gap between medicine and humanity.
