STYLEDWEL
Helping Urology Patients Lead a Healthy and Dignified Life

A wise person once said, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and the adage profoundly summarizes the founding story of STYLEDWEL. The company came into being when its founder Mary Marshall took the onus of saving the dignity of patients by creating sustainable solutions to conceal the inefficient waste collection bags.

It all began back in 2005 when one of Mary’s family members went through a successful prostate cancer surgery. However, after being fitted with catheter post-surgery, his turmoil began, as he was unable to come to terms with the inept urinary bags. “I was astonished to see him survive prostate cancer but be all upset about urinary leg bag. Then it dawned upon me that it was all about dignity for him,” states Mary. Besides being visible, these leg bags would often slip because of very thin straps, which could create discomfort as well as embarrassing scenes for her relative. And, upon realizing that there is no support solution available for urinary leg bags, Mary stapled two pieces of fabric on either side of the bag, resulting in immense respite for her relative. “I found my passion that day, and decided to help patients with bladder dysfunctions live a free life with dignity,” claims Marry. Thus, she went to the Incubation Center at the University of Florida and developed– LEGG-INS—a U.S. patented leg bag cover that comfortably, securely, and discretely supports the urinary waste collection bags. LEGG-INS has two wide adjustable straps that take the thin latex bands of the urinary bag out of the equation entirely, providing protection against slippage of the bag. Made from durable and lightweight nylon materials, the leg bag cover has a viewing window that allows patients’ relatives to monitor the bag for discoloring, or blood in the urine.

"We designed the products, keeping the end-user experience and comfort in mind."

More importantly, the product has comfortable options for easy transport and discharge of waste, and can also be washed and reused conveniently.

Another product of STYLEDWEL also comes from the sheer requirement of a war veteran who was paralyzed from the waist down and was facing dignity issues because of the inefficient waste collection bag. While being asked to speak to spinal cord patients at the Veterans Affairs (VA) in Tempa, Mary came the plight of this gentleman and decided to design—BAG-INS—that suits his purpose perfectly. The tote has a dowel rod system at the top that provides sufficient support for the standard 2000 ml waste collection bag despite being full. This prevents the urinary bag from pulling the catheter and also mitigates the chances of any urinary tract infection (UTI). Besides, the product inherits the durability and other efficient features of BAG-INS, and has a sleek design to support all types of appliances such as wheelchairs, mobility chairs, bed rails, and walkers, enabling patients to walk and move without any hindrances. “We designed the products, keeping the end-user experience and comfort in mind,” informs Mary.

Mary shares a customer success story of VA in North Carolina, which ordered 150 bags for its patients. She recently received feedback from them stating that the patients are roaming in their facility without exposing their waste collection bags, giving them a superior sense of dignity.

Mary writes a personal note to all her consumers to ask for feedback and ensures that no customer is left unsatisfied. “There is not a single urologist, caregiver, and the family member of a patient that did not like the product, and I have received only positive feedback from my customers,” extols Mary. Going forward, Mary also has plans to enhance the company’s product offering and design colostomy bags for the patients.