This girl’s fight with cancer pushed her to invent a life-changing device.
Kylie Simonds understands what the struggle with cancer entails. The 11-year-old says she remembers struggling to walk around with IV poles, after she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma — a connective tissue cancer — three years ago, according to WTNH. That’s why she invented a pediatric IV backpack: a wearable, portable IV machine for kids receiving chemotherapy or transfusions. The bag even comes in colourful designs.
“It was hard to walk around, and I always had to have someone push it for me because I was … weak when I was in chemo,” she told WTNH of her old IV poles. She said that her IV backpacks “are very light and … more convenient” in comparison.
Though the invention could serve the needs of many cancer patients, Kylie had two good friends in mind when coming up with the concept: Marik and Brooke, whom she met at hospital during her treatment, according to WTNH.
Kylie’s creative backpack has already led to several awards after it was entered into the Connecticut Invention Convention, according to Yahoo News. At the convention, Kylie won the coveted Patent Award, which sends the design to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Convention judges weren’t the only ones who admired Kylie’s idea. Medical professionals have also voiced their approval of the IV backpack.
