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A pillow for pain relief
By JOHN REINAN ST. PETERSBURG -- Macarena Rose looked death in the eye and saw . . . a pillow. An odd sight, perhaps, when you've faced down cancer. But Rose's vision had a purpose. It was to help the 7-million Americans who, like her, suffer from stomach acid reflux. And if, along the way, the vision turned into a business -- well, so much the better. Acid reflux occurs when the valve between the stomach and the throat doesn't work properly, allowing corrosive stomach acid to eat away the delicate tissue of the esophagus. Rose, 37, discovered her condition four years ago, when chest pains turned out to be severe reflux. A biopsy revealed cancer of the esophagus; she had surgery and took nearly a year to recover. The surgery got rid of the cancer, but it didn't cure her reflux. Rose was miserable: gobbling expensive pills every day to ease her pain, raising two teenagers as a single mother and operating a boat detailing business. And she was running down from lack of sleep. Reflux is worst at night, when stomach acid can flow unhindered while the victim is lying flat. Seeking relief, Rose used to sleep upright, wedged into the angle of her L-shaped couch. Her doctor told her to try sleeping on an incline, so she bought a wedge-shaped pillow. But it was uncomfortable. Finally, she decided to make her own pillow. "There wasn't one thing that was easy about it," said Rose, who works out of her home in the Tyrone area of St. Petersburg. "That was a long 10 months, with the kids, the boat business and the pillow." She put every cent she could spare into the project and also borrowed about $16,000 from her grandmother and Erin Koogle, her partner in the detailing business. "I can't tell you how many times I would sit here and cry because I was taking money from my kids and our bills to fund this pillow," Rose said. "But I knew I couldn't give up. It was meant to be." She took her prototype to St. Petersburg patent attorney Thomas Frost, who has seen his share of hopeful inventors. "It's not unusual for them to come into my office," Frost said. "It's more unusual for someone to actually obtain a patent." But in only three months, Rose had a patent on her product, which she named the Prop Up Pillow. "My lawyer said somebody in the patent office must have acid reflux," Rose said with a laugh. Although there are similar pillows on the market, Rose's patent certifies that she has made a significant improvement to an existing idea. There are several differences between her pillow and others, she said: the angle, which is carefully calibrated; the use of expensive "memory foam"; and the adjustable neck and back supports. After Rose started using the pillow, she was able to stop taking the prescription medication that was costing her hundreds of dollars a year. Her gastroenterologist, Dr. Tejinder Glamour, was so impressed that he has recommended her pillow to other patients. "I didn't take her that seriously initially," Glamour said. "But then I saw that she was determined. "A few of my patients have tried this pillow and they are very happy," Glamour said. "This thing does work." Rose sold her first pillow a year ago and has sold about 800 of them since. At $148, it is more expensive than some competing products and less expensive than others. Rose said the materials are costly; each pillow contains about $65 worth of memory foam. Her profit on each pillow, she said, is about $10. "I want to pay my bills, but I don't want to get rich," she said. "I want to help people." The pillows are manufactured and shipped by the Pinellas Association for Retarded Children. "I'm thrilled to be associated with PARC," Rose said. "They are thankful to have the work and I'm thankful to have them." For now, her marketing relies heavily on word of mouth and on her Web site, www.propuppillow.com. She also hosts an online discussion group for reflux sufferers and is considering advertising on cable TV. At this point, she's still able to give individual attention to her customers; she said she has called or e-mailed every buyer to date. And as her business grows, she hopes to keep the personal touch. "This business is very satisfying because I get to talk to people and help them," Rose said. "I feel like I'm making a difference."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
