With the recent agreement that Walmart was adding The SHOWER SHIRT™ to its product line, I was a happy individual. I felt somewhat invincible. Yes, I still had a myriad of crap to overcome between Medicare coverage, attaining a patent and paying off debt related to the company. However, there was something about having Walmart pick up my product which made it seem all worthwhile.
To add more excitement to the mix, the ZONTA Club of Defiance, Ohio, requested I be its keynote speaker for an upcoming breast cancer fundraiser. The group worked with ProMedica Health System on various initiatives to raise money for women who could not afford mammograms. A great cause and right up my alley. I had spoken at many events over the years as a journalist, but never as an inventor, which was even more exciting. Furthermore, they were going to pay me. Pay me to speak? Wow!!!!
I had a few months to prepare for my new ‘inventor status’ speaking engagement. Though before I could get started, I had to become hermitically inclined to my bed for a month contemplating how to find the courage to discuss the last two years of my life. I was in touch with telling everyone else’s story as a journalist and subsequent media strategist, but felt I had no idea how to relay the experiences I had just lived through. Carrying out a two-minute television interview about The SHOWER SHIRT™ product was familiar and simple. Though preparing to speak for nearly an hour to a group of several hundred strangers was painstakingly frightening.
A simple question, why did I fear speaking to a few hundred people about my experience with breast cancer and The SHOWER SHIRT™? Daily, I would bargain with myself to get out of bed and start writing my story, and every day I would put it off. I was absolutely overwhelmed and paralyzed with FEAR.
All extremely confusing, there was no reason for FEAR. I knew my story better than anyone. I knew every detail related to my breast surgery and subsequent infections, hyperbaric treatments and my no love loss relationship with Dr. Z. More importantly, I should have been able to talk about my day in and day out relationship with The SHOWER SHIRT™ and what it took to bring this ‘child’ to market.
My feelings of FEAR defied logic, but then what is logic? I had robotically gone through the motions of emotions while being focused on becoming healthy and creating a product. Unfortunately, I still had not decoded the entire psychological trauma I had gone through and was essentially stunted. Furthermore, these stunted emotions had created a sense of FEAR which was absolutely out of character for me. I have traditionally feared nothing (except heights & sharks). I had to find a way to overcome this unfamiliar emotion which nevertheless, appeared Real.
Stay Tuned,
Lisa F. Crites
The Shower Shirt Co., Founder/Inventor
Health/Medical Print Journalist & Guest Columnist