Richmond-based startup company Aleah Wares delivered a donation of Infused Comfort Sweaters to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The patent-pending wweaters are a world first in adaptable clothing designed to assist and comfort the children undergoing IV-based therapies.
This effort was made possible through a grant from the New College of Florida, as well as the generosity of numerous individuals from Richmond to Sarasota. The delivery culminates over three years of effort to bring the Infused Comfort Sweaters from concept to finished product. The company’s CEO, Aleah Colón-Alfonso, designed the sweaters while undergoing her own intravenous treatment during her freshman year at New College of Florida in Sarasota, Florida. The patent-pending design allows for patients to take the sweater on and off without disconnecting or disrupting existing IV therapies.
“I began my college career enduring intravenous therapies and struggling through side effects – and now I am in my senior year working towards providing solutions to the problems I encountered firsthand,” said Aleah Colón-Alfonso. “Fulfilling this grant has been an incredible way to bookend my second-to-last semester at New College of Florida. It has been incredibly rewarding to watch my idea go from invention to incorporation.”
About Aleah Wares: Aleah Wares is a company borne out of personal necessity. The founder, Aleah Colón-Alfonso, underwent weekly intravenous treatments for neuropathy that lasted 12+ hours over many months, and experienced the discomfort and indignities of extreme temperature fluctuations associated with IV therapies. After researching “Infusion-Friendly Sweaters” and realizing that no one had addressed this issue faced by millions, she made it her mission to create a product that solved the problem. Now partnering with Timothy J. Bechen, patent attorney turned entrepreneur, the company is working towards expanding the adaptability marketplace. Currently, Aleah Wares is proud to offer the patent-pending Infused Comfort Sweaters which allows the wearer to don or remove the sweater during wild temperature fluctuations without disrupting an intravenous connection. The problem the Infused Comfort Sweaters solves is a basic need that has not been acknowledged or even recognized as a necessity for millions worldwide. It addresses discomfort as a symptom – a symptom that almost everyone who receives an IV experiences.
To sponsor a children’s sweater donation or learn more about how you can support Aleah Wares, please visit AleahWares.com.
