We love our friends within the medically complex community and their passion for helping others through the businesses they started.
Clothing:
BILLY Footwear
Shoes that embody universal design. They both appeal to, and work for everyone. Sizes kid to adult.
After breaking his neck from a three-story fall in 1996, co-founder Billy Price, became paralyzed from the chest down. It became his mission to create mainstream shoes that are functional, fashionable, and inclusive for everyone.
Use our affiliate link and 15% of your purchase price is donated to Freeman Playground in Helena, AR. Email us at info@freearmcare.com for a $5 coupon to use towards your Billy Footwear purchase.
Tubesies
G-tube access friendly clothing for ages 0-36 months.
Founder Cecilia Auth has been a pediatric nurse for 18 years. Her passion to help children heal, grow and learn, led to a novel idea, a tube feeding friendly bodysuit that would not only help the parent access the port more easily, but one that encourages the child, with fun vinyl prints over the access window.
Save 20% on your purchase with code GRATEFUL20 at checkout on www.tubesies.com.
Stoma Stoma
Owen was born weighing only 1lb 2oz. His amazing family used t-shirts as a rallying cry to bring a community of support and love around him during his many months in the hospital. They now use humor and joy in their fun tees to lighten the mood for those living the tubie and trach life.
Check out their fun Ollie inspired “Proud Tubie Me” tee, sizes infant to adult.
stomastoma.com
Happy Snappies
High-quality, handmade, premium g-tube pad covers in assorted shapes, sizes, and designs. Each Tubie pad cover is made with their exclusive "easy-tab snap" feature and special layering technique which provides a more soft and gentle touch.
Custom requests are always welcome. Happy Tummies with Happy Snappies!
shophappysnappies.com
Spoonie Threads
Spoonie Threads, understands the importance of functionality. They also understand the value of self-expression. Apparel, tubie pads, ostomy bag covers, diabetes pump belts and more! Their innovative designs are sure to keep you feeling empowered, stylish and on trend.
spooniethreads.com
Gus Gear
Gus Gear’s G-Tube and Central Line Wraps improve the safety and quality of life for those facing medical challenges, began more than a decade ago by its founder and CEO, Sarah Palya, in response to the ongoing medical journey of Gus, her son.
gusgear.net
The Charlotte Letter
An amazing company started by parents Stephanie and Kameron because of their daughter Charlotte who rocks her feeding tube!
Adaptive clothing, adult advocacy tees and more!
thecharlotteletter.com
Laree + Co
Alivia Kraft, Tubie and Trisomy 18 mama to Lillian Rose, strives to make a difference for medically complex kiddos through something we all have in common—clothes!
Save 15% on your purchase with code FREEMAN15 at lareeandco.com.
Victory Adaptive
Nikki Green began creating clothing to properly fit her daughter Star after she was diagnosed with Schizencephaly. This lead to a journey to craft fashionable, adaptive swimwear for children with all needs.
victoryadaptivecollection.com
Ready Set Romper
Created by Carin, a mother with a background in child development, Ready Set Romper eliminates the frustration of those pesky snaps and zips but offers all the benefits of easy access to g-tubes and other medical lines! ️
readysetromper.com
Threads of Kindness
Threads of Kindness has wonderful clothing, Tubie items, stickers and more, designed and created by Kenna as she reminds you that you are beautiful, confident, and strong and that you are not alone in this tube feeding journey.
You’ll see on Kenna’s site that all of her items are sold out. That’s because she has super fun launch days, and once items are gone, they’re gone! So keep your eye on her Instagram to stay up to date on her next restock!
threadsofkindnessco.com
Ben-Guard
Wearable safety securement clothing to anchor and hold CVCs, PICC lines and g-tubes safely to the body, while allowing easy access.
Rhonda created Ben-Guard to help others and honor her son Benjamin who passed away after being diagnosed with brain cancer just before his 3rd birthday.
ben-guard.com
Products:
bFed® System
An alternative to traditional, messy, gravity syringe tube feeding. The bFed System works with all types of nutrition.
With the Bolee Bag clip, mess free, hands free tube feeding is a breeze!
udelivermedical.com
A Simple Patch
NG and oxygen tape, cut for right or left placement on the face and also long pieces of tubie tape that can be used for g-tubes and all other tubes.
Meg, having a child with her own medical devices for the last eight years, saw there was a need to make tubes less medical looking while also understanding the importance that they be stuck firmly in place. Instead of being ashamed of her devices, Meg’s daughter now wears them proudly and is happy to show them off with her fun adhesives in place.
Check out the fun Ollie #freearmfan Tubie Tape!
asimplepatch.com
4U Medical Designs
4U’s mission to reduce anxiety & fear for patients is lead by their patent pending medical device stickers. The medical grade stickers overlay blank portions of medical devices like IV Bags, Feeding Bags, & Syringes with friendly images that provide conversation starters!
4umedicaldesigns.com
Mighty Well
Mighty Well transforms the patient experience through a platform that provides convenient and price-sensitive vital medical supplies with the guidance, education, and community needed to adopt them. Mighty Well's product collection includes Antimicrobial PICC Line Covers, Waterproof Shower Sleeves, Diabetes Travel Cases, Fluid Motion Backpacks for tube feeding and TPN patients, and more!
mighty-well.com
Wonderfold Wagon
Wonderfold Wagons are amazing, durable wagons that can hold 1-4 kids and ALL of your medical supplies, and best of all, they fold up to fit in your car!
That’s not it, through the Wonderfold Warrior Program, a 25% discount is offered to special needs families for their wagon and accessories purchase!
Not eligible for the Warrior Program, no worries, use discount code FREEARM at checkout to save 10% off your wagon purchase!
wonderfoldwagon.com
The Safety Sleeper®
A fully enclosed bed solution for individuals with sleep disturbances caused by special needs. The Safety Sleeper securely fastens to your bed system to offer protection through the night.
Rose Morris set out to solve a problem for her own family – how to keep her son, Abram who is on the autism spectrum, safe at night from wandering. The Safety Sleeper now improves the lives of additional needs families around the world.
safetysleeper.com
Abram's Nation
Rose Morris, founder of Abram’s Nation and The Safety Sleeper, along with her team of experts, continue to develop new lines of products that help and support the daily activities of additional needs families. All products are proudly made in the USA.
abramsnation.com
Crafting for a Cure Co
Due to gastroparesis, Carolanne became feeding tube dependent. Crafting For A Cure Co. was born to make fun and fashionable feeding tube accessories.
The tubie clips are useful not only for those with feeding tubes but for people who have central lines, oxygen tubing, and other devices with cords and lines that tangle!
etsy.com/shop/CraftingForACureCo
Medi Teddy
Conceal feed bags and iv bags with this friendly bear invented by Ella age 14.
Ella was diagnosed with ITP, meaning her body destroys the platelets in her blood. She undergoes an IVIG infusion every 8 weeks. Infusions, big bags of medicine and feed bags can look so scary, but not anymore with Medi Teddy.
medi-teddy.org
Tubie2go
Tubie2go was inspired and created shortly after Tiffany’s son Magnus became a Tubie in 2019. Their mission: to provide parents with tube feeding children an affordable and stylish option to tube feed their children on the go. For kids that don’t quit!
facebook.com/tubie2go/
Food:
Whole Story Meals
Real food, freeze dried, powdered meals. Transforming enteral nutrition for tube-fed people at home and on-the-go.
Autumn, mom to Story Grace, looked for ways that she and her 5 children could spend quality time together while focusing on their mental and physical health. That's when they started hiking.
The blended food for Story Grace’s feeding tube was just too heavy to pack into the backcountry. That’s when WSMs was born.
wholestorymeals.com
Functional Formularies
Organic whole-food, plant-based feeding tube formula.
Functional Formularies was created out of Love, Necessity and Hope for Robin Gentry McGee’s father who suffered a traumatic brain injury.
functionalformularies.com
Kate Farms
Plant-based formulas for tube feeding and drinking.
Kate Farms was founded when a little girl named Kate was failing to thrive. She couldn’t tolerate the tube feeding formulas available, so her parents had the transformative idea to develop a better formula.
katefarms.com
Real Food Blends
Blended food for people with feeding tubes.
Originally inspired by their young tube-fed son, AJ, who is now the company’s “Chief Inspiration Officer”, and a belief that we all deserve real food, Julie and Tony Bombacino sought to create a company that provided easy access to 100% real food meals and nutritional variety to tube-fed people and their families, at home or on the go.
realfoodblends.com
Wholesome Blends
Wholesome Blends is Australasia's first enteral feeding option that contains nothing but fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins.
Blends are "created by an Executive Chef, in consultation with a Senior Dietitian, and tested by our Chief Tubie Lewis."
wholesomeblends.com.au
Wilbo’s Blends
UK tubies can now receive FreeArms MUCH faster thanks to Wilbo's Blends! Wilbo's Blends creates organic, 100% real food blends in a ready to use pouch. Check out all of their blends and order a FreeArm on their website.
wilbosblends.co.uk
Advocacy:
Tiny Superheroes
Tiny Superheroes is a tiny cape business with a super big mission! They aim to have the world see the superpowers behind every difference! Capes and patches can be purchased or a child can be nominated to receive a cape free of charge! Learn more about TSH mission and shop capes on their website.
tinysuperheroes.com
Bitsy Atwald
Bitsy Atwold uses teaching tools such as magnet sets, sticker sheets and activity books to "help adults & kiddos within our medical, disability, and mental health communities feel seen, heard, and celebrated exactly as they are in their experiences."
Bitsy Atwold has released a tube feeding activity book that you can purchase through their website. Have a peek at page 14 to see if you can spot a funky FreeArm! Check it all out on their website.
bitsyatwold.com
Amber’s Adventures with Goldenhar
Amber is a cheery, optimistic, fun-loving girl who is a bit different from all of her friends -- she has something called Goldenhar syndrome, which makes her super unique! Amber is brought to life in this book by Breanna Mendoza. Going to the hospital can be scary, but Amber draws her strength from something special: the Goldenhar Galaxy! Follow Amber, her dad, Nurse Hope and friends along her hospital journey through the cosmos.
Purchase her book here!
Inclusive Dinos
After Trevor was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that causes multiple movement disorders, seeing and improving inclusion representation has become a goal of his. Inclusive Dinos stickers do just that and help to bring awareness to many who are not always represented in society.
Purchase fun FreeArm stickers and more!
Enjoy these coloring pages, too!
Elijah’s Baby Bucket List
Elijah’s Baby Bucket List provides awareness for Lissencephely and opportunities for Elijah to live his life to the fullest.
Elijah's 10 year old sister Avayha started a business called Lemonade in Paris. All proceeds from her tees, mugs and bracelets fund her dream to take Elijah to Paris to drink lemonade and look at art!
Elijahsbabybucketlist.com
lemonadeinparis.com
Resources:
Blended Tube Feeding
Hilarie Geurink took her passion for nutrition and experimenting with recipes and created an incredible resource for parents and families who want to use real foods to nourish their bodies.
She has created a digital program to educate parents and families on how to get started using a blended diet in their tube feeding life.
blendedtubefeeding.com
Tube Dietitian
Lina goes the extra mile for her patients and fully believes that “Nutrition is more than just medicine. It’s a form of love, reflects culture, and is an integral part of all our social interactions. Nutrition through a feeding tube is no different.”
Learn more about her work at Tube Dietitian and her book Your Tube.
tubedietitian.com
mejo
mejo is a tool that helps a caregiver organize medical/personal information to create a medical journal specifically tailored to their child. Through a series of carefully curated online forms, mejo makes it easy to identify and prioritize your child's unique information.
mymejo.com
Rare Revolution
Rare Revolution seeks to bring about a dramatic and wide reaching change in conditions and attitudes for rare diseases. Their quarterly publication highlights individuals and corporations in the rare community.
Read the special feature about Freeman and the FreeArm here.
rarerevolutionmagazine.com
Feeding Tube Foundation
The Feeding Tube Foundation’s mission is centered around providing unwavering support, resources, and education to empower and improve the lives of children and adults worldwide with feeding tubes.
Come together with other families + individuals in the feeding tube community for connection, and support on their Facebook page.
feedingtubefoundation.org
tubie talks.
Tubie Talks is a podcast that highlights the lives of those who tube feed. During this bi-monthly podcast, Melanie Dimmitt hosts a new guest each episode and celebrates their life of tube feeding.
You can find Tubie Talks wherever you listen to your podcasts.
melaniedimmitt.com.au/podcast
SPOHNC
SPOHNC, pronounced "Spunk", is a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and meeting the needs of oral, head and neck cancer patients through its resources and publications. Through their programs they provide an enormous positive impact on meeting the psychosocial needs of patients as well as preserving, restoring and promoting physical and emotional health.
www.spohnc.org
Check out their spring newsletter HERE wishing Freeman a happy birthday on page 5.
ausEE
ausEE is an Australia charity who works diligently to help those with eosinophilic diseases by providing support, information, and resources. To learn more about what ausEE does and how they can help you or your family member with an eosinophilic disease or a feeding tube, visit their website and follow them on Facebook.
ausee.org
The Blend.
The Blend is an amazing online, Australian magazine, The Blend is an amazing online, Australian magazine, highlighting Tubies and great tube feeding products as well as interviews and editorial spreads!
We are honored for the FreeArm to be highlighted on page 144 of Issue 1, page 130 of Issue 2, and page 129 of Issue 3.
Read the full issues online.
theblendmag.com
Childfeeding.org
Childfeeding.org is driven by their mission to help families celebrate and embrace mealtimes, however they choose to feed.
As the only evidence-based online resource by parents, for families of kids with complex feeding difficulties in Australia, this is the table where everyone is welcome.
childfeeding.org
Alice’s Kids
Alice’s Kids provides gift cards to parents of children grades K-12 nationwide. Gift cards can cover a winter coat, new pair of shoes, backpack, eye glasses, sports team fees, a FreeArm Muscle and more.
Children can be nominated by their teacher, case worker, nurse, clergy or any professional working with the child.
Thank you Alice’s Kids for ALL that you do!
aliceskids.org
Give InKind
After experiencing the unexpected stillbirth of their first child, Founder Laura Malcolm and her husband James saw how much work was created for their friends and families that wanted to be supportive from around the country. There were questions about where to order delivery meals, what to send or say to a family experiencing baby loss, whether or not they were up for visitors or phone calls – and Laura knew there had to be a simpler way to coordinate all of the efforts from the loved ones that wanted to help. In Layla’s honor, Give InKind was born.
giveinkind.com
Hand to Hold
Hand to Hold provides personalized support before, during and after a NICU stay to help ensure all NICU families thrive.
Our founder Misti, was honored to share Freeman’s NICU story on Episode 76.
Learn more about Hand to Hold and access all of their podcast episodes at their website.
handtohold.org
The Rare Life Podcast
The Rare Life Podcast led by Madeline Cheney, mom to a very special little boy born with an extremely rare genetic disorder, highlights conversations with other parents who share their own stories of loving a child with medical complexities. Subscribe to The Rare Life podcast wherever you choose to listen to podcasts or listen directly from The Rare Life website. Check out this episode when Madeline talks with Misti about Freeman's diagnosis.
therarelifepodcast.com
The Oley Foundation
Founded in 1983 by Lyn Howard, MD and her patient, Clarence “Oley” Oldenburg, the Oley Foundation is a national, independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that strives to enrich the lives of those living with home intravenous nutrition (parenteral) and tube feeding (enteral) through education, advocacy, and networking.
oley.org
Life With Stripes
Follow Mickey as she navigates life with EDS in the most fun way possible, rainbow formula anyone?!
Mickey originally started her Instagram and YouTube page, Life with Stripes, with the purpose of sharing her journey with EDS and becoming a Tubie at age 16. Her encouragement, positive attitude, and realistic view of life with medical complexities allows for great conversation and transparency with people of any age.
Mickey loves telling others about about the FreeArm. Check out her YouTube FreeArm video with over 21K views and her Favorite Feeding Tube Products video with almost 30K views!
youtube.com/c/LifewithStripes
instagram.com/life.with.stripes