After seeing her son Max’s struggle to find socks to cover his orthotics, having lived with the effects of a perinatal stroke since birth, Steph Degodny set about designing some herself.
And from that desire to solve a problem for her own child, has emerged a thriving business making socks for children with disabilities across the United States, with a fast-growing presence in the mainstream market through what Steph terms the ‘inclusion revolution’.
Max & Me Gear now sells long socks in an array of designs – all of which have been confirmed as being ‘cool’ by their inspiration, Max himself – and are helping to transform the confidence of children and young people at formative stages of their lives.
For Max, now 12, who lives with ongoing challenges from his stroke, including hemiplegia on his right side, behavioural challenges and the need for additional learning support, his difficulties with daily practical tasks are now helping to improve the lives of countless others.
“The socks happened because a problem came to light that Max had, which it turned out so many other kids and families were having too,” Steph tells NR Times.
“This is now so much more than I ever set out to create, but to know it’s having an impact on families like ours and kids like Max is an amazing thing.
“It’s also given Max a greater purpose, he’s been so empowered by it – but he does get so embarrassed when he gets recognised and people come up to him in the street. I say ‘Max, you’re the face of the business, enjoy it!’”
From the earliest days of Max’s life, Steph and her husband were warned of the challenges that might lie ahead for their son – but typical of Steph’s ‘can do’ approach, she turned the prospect of what may not be possible into what can be done.
“I remember the doctor looking at me saying ‘We don’t know whether Max will ever walk, we don’t know whether Max will ever talk,’ and those feelings of utter shock and disbelief, like I had left my body,” recalls Steph.
“But by the time the doctor had explained this to my husband, I’d already reached ‘OK, so what are you going to do?’ I was calling people, sharing my story, reaching out to people who I knew could help us, who had been through what we were going through.
“And I think that has been the approach with Max & Me Gear, when you know the problems you face, you know others will experience the same things, so let’s do something about it.”
Max works alongside his mum to create socks which conceal orthotics and have the same pattern when folded over, which was the main issue prior to the creation of Max & Me Gear.
“We live in a cold climate and Max loves basketball, so he wears basketball shorts all year round, but he needs to wear long socks too,” says Steph.
“I’d get him extra large men’s socks, so they could fold down over the orthotic he continues to wear on his right leg, but the pattern would then be upside down. On his favourite pair of socks, which have his idol Steph Curry (who plays for his favourite basketball team, Golden State Warriors) on them, his face would be upside down when folded over.
“So I wanted to create some cool socks he’d be happy to wear, which people couldn’t tell if they’d been folded over or not.”
Steph set about designing socks – approved by Max, of course – and quickly realised the demand.
“I get so many parents with older kids saying they wish this was around when their child was wearing orthotics, and so many who are so pleased to have found them for their kids now – but as well as the market for kids with extra needs, they’re actually so popular with everyone,” says Steph.
“I’d say half of our sales now are from people who aren’t from the disabled community. People just love cool socks.
“We have one customer who’s an avid horse rider and she says they’re the greatest things, and there’s another who has MS and she has cramps in her legs and hates trousers them, but these socks have helped her so much.
“I think we’re seeing such an inclusion revolution and the stuff that’s designed for disabled people is actually really cool.
“When Nike launched their trainers inspired a kid with Cerebral Palsy who wrote to them, that you don’t need your hands to put on, they sold out instantly – and the people buying them didn’t have a disability, they just loved them because they’re cool.”
Such has been the inspiration created by Max & Me Gear, Steph is now creating the means for people to donate the cost of a pair of socks, which can then be donated to children who need them.
“It started as one of my friends bought 25 pairs of socks and said ‘Give them to kids who need them’. People are so kind and reach out to me to say ‘I don’t need the socks, but please find someone who does’,” says Steph, who also donates $1 from every purchase to We’re All Working on Something (WAWOS), an organisation dedicated to changing the conversation around disability.
“Having a child with extra needs is expensive and I wish our socks could be free, but by creating the means for people to donate the money to buy those socks for them, we are helping with that. If parents who need them reach out to me, I’ll get them to their kids.
“My IT guy is creating that on our website now, he loves what we do so much he barely charges me. He’s on a month vacation at the minute but is still working on our website from coffee shops, which just shows the kind of commitment that goes into making Max & Me Gear happen.”
And as well as the impact Max & Me Gear is having on children across the United States, Steph, as a CEO of a fast-growing e-commerce business, is also proud to be a woman in business.
“I have three nieces who I’m really close to, and they have watched me take the tragedy we faced with Max’s diagnosis and problem solve from there – they’ve watched me take the lead and grow a business, and as a female entrepreneur I’m really proud of that,” says Steph.
“I always say I’m just a mom who understands, who saw a problem and created a solution. If I can inspire people too, then that’s an amazing thing.”
