According to the American Cancer Society, cancer incidence rates continue to rise, especially among women. Research also shows that about one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
While undergoing treatment, these patients wear hospital gowns. Designed for their functionality, not their comfort, the standard issue gowns are paper-thin, and can leave a person feeling exposed—and unable to escape the fact that they’re a patient in a hospital fighting an illness. However, they help nurses and medical providers easily access tubes, lines, and other ports for medicine and monitoring vital signs.
What if these gowns could provide comfort? What if clothing helped patients feel put together and confident, even in the midst of treatment?
The team behind KickIt Pajamas believe it’s possible to combine both function and comfort. Launched in 2020, the company designs recovery wear with built in access points for medical care—while empowering the wearer to look and feel beautiful.
“I’m very proud and very energized by what we’re doing to help cancer patients,” says Elizabeth Searcy 97MBA, co-founder and CEO. “I love the creation process of my job and the ability to be analytical, while also bringing awareness so those fighting cancer know there is clothing out there made especially for their journey.”
How Friendships Formed a Company
Searcy’s childhood best friend, Cindy Trice, had just graduated from veterinary school when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. While undergoing treatment, Trice came up with the idea for comfortable pajamas that could be worn in the hospital without interfering with medical access points.
Over the next few years, through serendipitous conversations and connections brought together four individuals with the with complementary backgrounds and skills—uniting to launch a clothing company for women recovering from cancer.
Searcy, the CEO of KickIt Pajamas, brings a career in marketing and management consulting, where she held leadership roles, such as vice president of global marketing.
“I’ve worked with startups and growth-stage companies, so I do have that entrepreneurial spirit,” says Searcy.
Her childhood friend Trice is the chief innovation officer, the team’s creator of ideas. Trice remains close to the cancer community, which allows KickIt to hear first-hand about what kind of clothing products patient want to see. It also allows them to get immediate feedback about their ideas.
The two other co-founders, Anna Shuford and Parmelee Miller are best friends from college and sisters-in-law. Shuford, the chief design officer, was a caregiver to her parents, both of whom passed away from cancer. Miller brings the manufacturing and operations experience as chief operating officer.
Our reason for being is to provide clothing that is beautiful, functional, and comfortable for women undergoing cancer treatment so they feel and have a sense of dignity and normalcy through their cancer journey.
Elizabeth Searcy 97MBA, co-founder and CEO, KickIt Pajamas
“It’s also to honor Cindy’s journey and Anna’s journey with her parents,” says Searcy.
KickIt also gives back to the cancer community in two ways: They donate a percentage of proceeds to cancer research and support organizations, and they donate clothing to women undergoing cancer treatment.
The Creation of the Kristin Dress
When Kristin Lindsey 97MBA was fighting breast cancer, she was also trying to find an outfit to wear for her daughter’s high school graduation.
Searcy and Lindsey have been friends since their time at Goizueta Business School. After graduation, they ended up having daughters around the same time who then attended the same school and even played on the same lacrosse team.
“One of the most valuable things I got from my Goizueta education was a network of outstanding professionals, many of whom have remained friends during the many years since we graduated,” says Lindsey, the Americas director of sales enablement at SITA, a Swiss-based air transport tech company.
It was during their daughters’ lacrosse game in 2023 that Lindsey shared her frustrations about a lack of clothing for such a monumental occasion. She was searching for something that would make her feel confident and dressy—and would keep the focus on the event rather than her post-operation drains.
Searcy recalls feeling such indignation that her friend faced such a challenge over what should be a simple decision of what to wear during her cancer recovery. Around the same time, another of Searcy’s friends shared that she had experienced discomfort while traveling after mastectomy.
“These are not the only two women in the world who are going through this,” Searcy recalls.
She brought the idea to the KickIt team, and they became the first company to design and sell a dress for women recovering from cancer, says Searcy.
“Elizabeth and the KickIt team gave me a tremendous gift in creating the dress because now I know there’s a beautiful solution available to help those recovering feel beautiful and like themselves, rather than like patients who’ve just gone through major surgery,” says Lindsey. “More importantly, wearing something like the Kristin dress hides visible signs, like tubing and drainage bulbs, that scream ‘patient!’ and gives women beautiful cover to talk about their medical conditions when and if they want to.”
A few of KickIt’s design principles include that their clothing should be flattering to all body types, comfortable (with soft material for skin that’s undergone radiation), and functional as a medical accessory.
Searcy says they’ve received feedback from customers who said that even their nurses appreciated the functionality of the clothes.
What the Future Holds
Searcy has enjoyed the challenge of being a CEO for a startup and has taken great strides to spread the word about their clothing, including forming relationships with major healthcare facilities, such as Dignity Health in California and Radiance Boutique at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory.
Friends and family members can also purchase KickIt Pajamas clothing as a gift. Searcy says this option helps people answer the question: “What can I do for someone who told me they have been diagnosed with cancer.”
“KickIt is filling a really important space in the market with pajamas and [recovery] clothing that help women feel less like patients and more in control,” says Lindsey. “This boost in self-confidence allows them to direct more of their energy to their healing and getting back to the people and activities that matter most to them.”
