From the ride home from the hospital after surgery to driving or riding during the long recovery process after, patients universally report experiencing surgical site pain and discomfort when using their seatbelt. Ways of easing that pain led to unsafe behaviors. Placing pillow-like objects under the seatbelt. Using clothing or towels as makeshift pads. Holding the seatbelt away from the body. Putting the seatbelt behind the back. And worst of all - not wearing the seatbelt at all.

All of these were common behaviors discovered in our research. Before the SupportBelt, existing alternatives were basically low-tech options, do-it-yourself improvisational fixes or worse.

The SupportBelt, however, is a product painstakingly designed, thoroughly user-tested and officially crash-tested to meet strict automotive safety standards.

What we’ve created is an accessory that an already vulnerable group of mastectomy patients’ needs to travel safely, comfortably and confidently.

Our idea was to create the SupportBelt, a first-of-its-kind vehicle accessory that enables breast cancer patients to wear seatbelts safely and comfortably after a mastectomy.

Designed with input from patients, doctors, engineers, and other automotive experts, it attaches securely to seatbelts and helps those struggling with the pain and discomfort associated with mastectomy surgery.

Put through rigorous testing to meet automotive safety standards, the SupportBelt is the first product from a global automotive brand specifically designed to help mastectomy patients. Distribution will be scaled through the 3,200 Ford dealers across the country partnering with their local hospital networks, as well as through ford.com.

The SupportBelt impacts the industry by pushing it to recognize the needs of all audiences, particularly on issues related to safety and accessibility. By keeping the SupportBelt patent open, we invite other auto manufacturers to help us ensure that no mastectomy patient leaves the hospital without one.

Data Gathering:

The challenges of wearing a seatbelt after a mastectomy were researched through online breast cancer support group forums as well as in-person groups. Data was also gathered from interviews with women who’d had mastectomies. The idea was born from a learned experience of a creative on the Ford team who started her breast cancer journey and realized the need.

Target Audience:

Breast cancer patients who are planning to or have undergone a mastectomy.

Approach:

With the product successfully developed and rigorously safety tested, we will produce then distribute the SupportBelt to mastectomy patients through the 3,200 Ford dealers partnering with hospital networks in their areas. We will also create a social and PR campaign to launch during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2024. From there, we will encourage patients to visit ford.com for more information on how to get the belts at no cost to them.

We will launch the SupportBelt during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2024 in celebration of our 30-year legacy of breast cancer support.

It will be distributed through a partnership between the 3,200 Ford dealers and hospital networks nationwide. These dealers are already highly engaged in charitable initiatives, including breast cancer support, within their respective communities. By leveraging and amplifying these connections at the local level, we’ll quickly get the SupportBelt into the hands and onto the seatbelts of recovering mastectomy patients across the country.

At launch, we will create a robust social and PR campaign to create awareness of the SupportBelt, and we will also make it available on the Ford website. Our goal is to ensure that no mastectomy patient leaves the hospital without one.

To date, Ford has donated over $139 million to breast cancer research. The SupportBelt is a continuation of that commitment.

Women make up a key audience for Ford and are supported through multiple initiatives, including the Warriors in Pink program, which has donated $138 million to breast cancer research. The SupportBelt continues that commitment and is ready to be scaled for maximum impact.

Our plan to distribute it through 3,200 Ford dealers partnered with local hospital networks will get SupportBelts into the hands of thousands of mastectomy patients nationwide. We will then further scale our reach with a social media and PR campaign – making the accessory available at no charge at ford.com, which gets over 400,000 visits daily.

For women practicing unsafe habits in the car, the SupportBelt will encourage them to change those behaviors and provide much-needed comfort and security on their road to recovery. The perceptions of the Ford brand will also positively benefit as we proudly offer meaningful ongoing support for women and the breast cancer cause.