The Cadmus family sparked the idea for Rock the Socks Foundation, Inc. after their daughter Makenzie was born with the rare and painful disease, Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) in 2016. Before her birth, Nick and Liz Cadmus were unaware of EB. In fact, neither parent knew they carried the genetic mutation that causes the disease.
EB also has no cure. Therefore, the new parents felt ill-equipped and anxious to face this disease alone. They quickly discovered that life with EB would bring obstacles and challenges that they could have never imagined before. They also realized they would need to become well-versed in bandaging, pain management and feeding techniques in order to care for their fragile newborn.
Fortunately, during the second or third week of Makenzie’s life, one of her fantastic nurses from the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital at CHONY, gave them life-changing advice. At the time, Makenzie was frequently “throwing” her bandages off causing the painful rebandaging process to occur up to 4 times a day. The nurse suggested using socks as retention bandages because the available ones were too big. Once they began to use the socks to help keep her bandages in place, they realized they also provided a soft outer layer as the immediate under-layer of cling gauze was very rough and damaged Makenzie's delicate skin.
Additionally, the socks inadvertently made Makenzie the hospital’s local “fashionista.” Normally, children living with EB cannot wear traditional clothing because seams inside the garments can cause damage to their skin. Since Makenzie could not wear any of the typical newborn outfits, her parents chose to dress her up in adorable socks that fit her limbs and bandages. Makenzie's unique socks captured the eyes of many. So much so, that the hospital staff and her family began to say, "Rock those socks, girl!”
After the Cadmus family brought Makenzie home from the hospital they launched the “Rock the Socks” campaign on various social media accounts as a way to share Makenzie's story, as well as to spread awareness for "the worst disease you never heard of.” The online campaign asked followers to share photos of themselves wearing socks on their own hands to show love and support for Makenzie and others with this disease. Thousands of people have shared their own “Rock the Socks” photos since the campaign began. Now, the family has expanded this concept to Rock the Socks Foundation, Inc. with hopes to improve the lives of individuals with EB and their families.
Rock the Socks Foundation, Inc., is an all-volunteer charitable organization created by an EB family who had to navigate these troubled waters alone. This family’s hope is to assist other EB families by providing them with a charted course of support. The Foundation’s goal is to make a real impact on the quality of life of those affected by EB by raising funds and gathering supplies for EB patients and their families.
The short-term focus of Rock the Socks Foundation, Inc. is educating and assisting families with day-to-day wound-care knowledge, hands-on bandaging and pain-management techniques, as well as equipment set-up (including, but not limited to: feeding, diapering, bathing, and special clothing.) The Foundation also plans to provide guidance to mitigate the inevitable mental anguish felt by the family.
Long term, the Foundation hopes to be able to support families through continued education, updated materials as new-treatments/protocols are developed, and frequent question-and-answer sessions for affected families.
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