Terry Delonas is an AIDS patient with a problem.
AIDS can cause a wasting away of body fat and muscle, called lipoatrophy, which makes it painful to sit for long periods of time. He had talked with hundreds of other AIDS patients, so he knew the problem was widespread. So he started looking for a solution.
What he has created, with the help of Joann Reina and Joe Bollert, is a business, Lipowear LLC in Irvine.
The serendipity of this quest has been the discovery that about 950,000 Americans suffer from lipoatrophy, according to the Center for Disease Control, and many more – from long-range motorcycle riders to sports fans to cancer patients to the elderly – suffer from discomfort from sitting for a long time.
“Pain is real but suffering is optional,” Delonas decided. The alternative he and Lipowear introduced in April is SitRelief Shorts that are worn under regular clothing and are specially padded in the buttocks and down the legs for more comfortable sitting.
“They had to be light weight, comfortable and a garment that no one can tell you’re wearing,” he explained.
Only a male version is available now, but a female garment will be on the market in January.
Already, the company has received customer comments such as:
“Last night I gave my SitRelief Shorts the ultimate test. I attended a graduation ceremony at a football stadium. The seats were made out of concrete. I was so glad that I was protected from the hard seating and was comfortable for the entire time.”
“The foam is much more dense and supportive than its thickness suggests is possible, and it has a certain comforting fleshiness that surprised me. Great pain relief.”
“The shorts reduce the pain of sitting for long periods. I have worn the shorts to work and sat through all-day meetings and I have worn the shorts to church with very hard seats.”
The creation of the business and the product has been a five-year labor of love, said Reina who handles product production, because none of the partners had any experience in the garment industry. Each step of the way, someone with expertise came forward with a resource, knowledge or experience, she added.
Delonas met a couple on a cruise and told them about Lipowear. The man was an executive at Warnaco, a large swimsuit manufacturer. He introduced the Lipowear partners to a mold maker who not only made the metal molds for the shorts’ padding but introduced them to a foam manufacturer who introduced them to a clothing pattern maker.
Years ago Reina worked for IBM. When she and her partners sought assistance from SCORE, the volunteer business counseling group, their adviser was Terri Carr, who had worked with Reina at IBM.
“Everyone who has become involved in this project feels like they are a part of something bigger than themselves; we have become like a big family,” Reina said.
Craig Einhorn, vice president of sales at International Molders in Culver City, agreed. His company made the aluminum molds for the padding. “I did not get involved with Terry and his team in order to be able to afford a new house in Beverly Hills. But when we did this for Lipowear, it was the single most enjoyable day I’ve had in business.”
SCORE adviser Carr said Lipowear has come a long way since she first sat down with the partners two years ago.
“They had a concept and a prototype that needed to be redone because the shorts were too hot,” she recalled.
She introduced them to other SCORE advisers who specialize in online marketing and with contacts in drug store retailing. Each provided pieces for the business jigsaw puzzle that was slowly coming together. There are competitors on the market, Bollert said, adding that they tend to aim more at appearance than comfort.
One of Carr’s first suggestions was they needed to do a focus group. But the partners were ahead of her.
Bollert’s experience was in conducting medical trials for companies, so he structured a test of 24 patients to use the SitRelief Shorts for two months. Their average sitting time increased from 11 minutes to three hours.
Delonas had no doubt how the trial would turn out. Fellow lipoatrophy patients echo his painful stories. But many doctors were unaware. “One doctor told me he was aware of lipoatrophy but that patients never complained of sitting pain,” Delonas said. “Then his nurses said, ‘Oh yes they do. They can’t even sit in your waiting room chairs.’ He has changed the chairs since then.”
SitRelief Shorts sell online at sitrelief.com and at a few pharmacies for $69. More than 200 pair have been sold. The partners hope they can cut the price as they get into large-scale production.
Reina doesn’t anticipate creating a large selection of related products, but Delonas has already designed pajamas for lipoatrophy patients for whom lying down is painful.
