More Info
Wrapped Up› The product: CPR Lifewrap, first product for Secureplastiques› Founded: Formed company and started developing product in 2013› Founder: Felicia Jackson, working with business partner, Tony Iwancyk› About the Founder: Jackson is a physical therapist assistant at Memorial Hospital. She has worked in the medical field for more than two decades, from medical-records work to emergency-room registration.› About the product: CPR Lifewrap is a disposable plastic sleeve that covers the chest and has an attached mouth barrier. Proper hand placements are printed on the chest, and the product includes easy-to-follow instructions. It will come in three sizes: infant, child and adult. It’s expected to weigh a few ounces, be made of moldable latex-free plastic or vinyl and cost under $20.› The pitch: Jackson is seeking $60,000 to $100,000 to pay for a utility patent, production/manufacturing, packing and distribution for CPR Lifewrap. The product is still in the conceptual-design phase. Jackson has invested a few hundred dollars in her invention and raised close to $1,000 so far through GoFundMe and other sources.› Contact: fepolk@gmail.com; 423-779-7090
Anear-fatal accident led Felicia Jackson to create CPR Lifewrap, a disposable plastic sleeve with pre-marked hand placements and easy-to-follow instructions on how to administer the potential life-saving measure.
While driving, she hit a bump and her young son got a piece of candy stuck in his throat, the mother of three recalls. "His eyes rolled back in his head," Jackson says. "I couldn't think." Her husband dislodged the candy.
It became clear that other people probably freeze in situations when knowing what to do is a matter of life or death. That prompted her to action.
The Hixson resident has been in the medical field for most of her adult years, currently as a physical therapist assistant.
"My whole life has been about saving lives or making life better," says Jackson, 42. "With the CPR Lifewrap, I can do it on a larger scale."
The product is still in its formative stages. Jackson is updating the conceptual design and choosing the hand placements and wording for an artist to add to the prototype. It's expected to weigh a few ounces, be made of moldable latex-free plastic or vinyl and cost under $20.
"It's made for just everyday use," she says.
In May she completed the Launch business-development program in Chattanooga and has been consulting with local experts in the field, including Twila Layne, owner of We R CPR, an American Heart Association training center located in Chattanooga.
Two other products somewhat similar to Jackson's already exist, but differ in size and other features, Layne says. "For this one, it's just the simplicity of it."