Unlike traditional onesies, caregivers and parents can change babies wearing Drew's Cruisers™ even while they're hooked up to IV medication or fluids.
Originally created by Mandy, Drew's mom, these adapted onesies protect vital central lines and keep babies comfortable. The simple Velcro pocket on the back of Drew's Cruisers™ keeps little hands away from tubing and cords, lowering the risk of line infections or treatment delay and preserving patient independence, which is necessary for natural development.
Our son, Drew, was diagnosed with a rare Infantile Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2013 at 5 ½ months old.
Instantly, every ounce of normalcy in our life was gone. We were quickly thrown into the overwhelming world of pediatric cancer and moved into our new “home” on the 11th floor of Levine Children's Hospital. Immediately after his cancer diagnosis, we were given consent forms for the placement of a central line in his chest, straight to his little heart. This device is required for babies under a year in order to receive the life-saving medications needed to fight cancer. The other requirement for babies is hospital admission for each chemotherapy round, leading to over 150 overnight stays at Levine during Drew’s first year of treatment.
After Drew's central line was placed, we feared for the safety of his device. Our busy, curious baby boy grabbed and pulled on everything within reach, placed anything and everything in his mouth, and blew out more diapers a day than we could count. Not to mention, he was beginning to scoot and crawl. Drew had to be able to be a “normal baby,” despite the abnormal journey we were on. We were given some medical vests to help keep his central line secure, but they did nothing but cause an uncomfortable rash and irritate our son who was already battling so much. Out of desperation and frustration, the Drew’s Cruisers™ adapted onesie design was born.
What a huge difference our simple design made for our treatment experience, and what an honor it is to continue making Drew’s Cruisers™ for so many babies and families facing similar medical battles. Our sweet boy may no longer be with us, but we pray his legacy will live on and touch many other precious little lives.
Mandy Slocum
Drew’s Cruisers™ Program Director
mandy@zipwithus.org
Zip With Us, Inc.
