Pris-Zippity founder Phyllis White creates sweatshirts for dialysis patients to keep them warm during treatments
During her 18 months of dialysis, Priscilla McClure, who suffered from numerous autoimmune diseases, later diagnosed as Lupus, would say she felt cold during treatments. Her sister, Washington Township resident Phyllis White, tried many solutions to help keep her warm, but it wasn’t until McClure, 62, passed away on Valentine’s Day 2015 when White created a grassroots organization in honor of McClure, called Pris-Zippity.
The nonprofit, partnered with Kennedy Health Care Foundation, distributes handmade sweatshirts to patients within the Kennedy Dialysis Centers in Washington Township and Voorhees to bring comfort and warmth during treatment sessions. The mission of the organization, White said, is to “warm hearts one zipper at a time.”
White meets with volunteers on the first Tuesday of every month, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Kennedy Cancer Center in Washington Township to sew. Each sweatshirt features zippers on both sleeves to allow access to the dialysis ports.
“I had started to put zippers into some of Priscilla’s t-shirts so she could have access, and also stay warm because the treatment is so cold,” White said. “Everytime I give a sweatshirt away, I think of giving a little bit of Priscilla away, and I think that’s really what keeps me going.”
Joan Covert , Washington Township’s Kennedy Dialysis Center access coordinator, said many patients are cold due to the process of the treatment. When using the machine, a patient’s blood is being circulated out of their body, cleansed and put back in, causing their body temperature to drop. Many patients are also anemic, meaning their red blood cell count is low, which can also make a person feel cold, as this is what would circulate through the body to keep it warm.
“The sweatshirts make such a difference because patients have to wear clothing that will allow for access all over,” said Joanne Marcellina, nurse manager at the Washington Township Kennedy Dialysis Center. “They can’t wear just anything, they need to allow for that access, so with the zippers, it makes their treatment so much easier to stay warm.”
Recently, White presented the first 100 out of 400 sweatshirts purchased through donations on Giving Tuesday, the National Day of Giving, last November. The Kennedy Health Care Foundation created an online appeal requesting community donations for 400 sweatshirts for patients in both dialysis centers. According to the foundation’s Donor Relations Manager Joanne Sabatini, with each sweatshirt costing approximately $25, more than $6,000 was raised, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting Pris-Zippity directly.
“I often thought it was all about the shirt and their warmth, but I’ve seen beyond that,” White said. “Just the fact I look in their eyes and they say, ‘someone is thinking about me.’ Whatever we give, we get back 100 fold. I’ve learned a valuable lesson in life.”
White makes a point of talking with all the patients when she makes sweatshirt deliveries, letting them know “I’m thinking of you today.” White said most patients spend a large portion of their lives at the dialysis center, approximately four to five hours each session, three days a week, so she enjoys talking to them to help pass the time.
White considers Pris-Zippity her and McClure’s legacy together.
“I lost my best friend,” White said. “She was sweet, quiet and completely different than me. I loved her and I still love her through doing this. It’s how she stays alive.”
Pris-Zippity is continuing to expand with the inclusion of pants for men and women who may have access points near their groin area. The sweatpants will be of the same quality as the sweatshirts, White said, with a drawstring waistband and zippers along each leg for port access.
“Serving your community is what it is all about — it’s where you live, it’s where you meet people in the grocery store, the bank, the people you go to church with — you’re helping members of your community,” White said. “Sometimes we can’t do big things, but we can do small things that make a big impact.”
For more information on how to get involved with Pris-Zippity, or to make a donation, contact Sabatini at j.sabatini@kennedyhealth.org, or call (856) 566–5309. Also, visit www.kennedyhealth.org/pris-zippity-fund, or stop by on the first Tuesday of each month at the Kennedy Cancer Center, 900 Medical Drive, №100, Sewell, to lend a hand.
