Sylvia Korimsek (left), Josephine Korimsek (right)
Meet Sylvia Korimsek — the daughter of Josephine Korimsek, who has been living with Essential tremor for over 30 years.
Essential tremor is a neurodegenerative disease that causes uncontrollable shakes to the head, neck, trunk, arms, legs, voice, and other parts of the body. Essential tremor affects approximately 10 million Americans, and it is the most common movement disorder worldwide. Oftentimes, people with Essential tremor will lose their ability to write, eat, and drink on their own, and require additional support from family and friends. When Josephine’s tremors progressed to a point where she required more assistance Sylvia stepped in more often, offering help when needed and moral support.
Sylvia explained Josephine’s journey with Essential tremor. She said, “my mom’s hand tremors began to progress in her 70’s, but they would only get bad when she was stressed.” She continued, “In her late 70’s the hand tremors got really bad, and that’s when my sister took her to a neurologist and they diagnosed her with essential tremor.”
Sylvia explained that the diagnosis was worrisome for her and her family, primarily because there was very little information about Essential tremor. She said, “worry is the biggest impact that Josephine’s diagnosis has had on me.” She added, “there are basic things we need as humans, and then there are the other things that give us fulfillment and enjoyment - baking, sewing, painting. I was really worried that those things would disappear when she was diagnosed.”
After Josephine’s diagnosis, Sylvia was committed to learning more about Essential tremor and finding tools and strategies to ensure that her mother would live a meaningful life. She said, “I mostly used the internet to educate myself.” She continued, “I found some companies in the states that sell assistive devices, but most of them required a requisition or did not ship to Canada.” That’s when Sylvia refined her search to Canadian companies and came across Steadiwear — a Canadian medical device company that creates a tremor stabilizing glove for people with a hand tremor
After reaching out to the Steadiwear team, Sylvia and Josephine were invited to the Steadiwear lab in Toronto, Canada to test out the Steadi-Two — an assistive device designed to reduce hand tremors for people with Parkinson’s disease and Essential tremor. Sylvia explained the excitement she felt when her mother put on the glove, and it reduced her tremor. She said, “there is a real element of hope here. There is so much reassurance in knowing that there is something to help her regain some of her lost abilities.”
Sylvia mentioned that some of the Steadi-Two product features are what really sparked her interest. The Steadi-Two is a lightweight, battery-free, machine washable assistive device. There is no daily usage limit, and the glove can be worn on both the left and right hands. It is incredibly easy to use, and more affordable than other products on the market. The Steadi-Two is currently available for pre-order. If you are interested, click here to learn more.
Sylvia will always be there for her mother, to lend a helping hand whenever needed. However, she is looking forward to when Josephine receives the Steadi-Two, and can regain a sense of pride and accomplishment when she completes tasks on her own. Sylvia said, “the Steadi-Two will allow her to do the ‘must-do’s’ in life, but also the ‘wants’ in life that bring people joy and make life worth living.” The team at Steadiwear could not have said it better themselves!
The Steadiwear team is looking forward to August 2022 when they will be delivering the Steadi-Two to customers, and helping people with a hand tremor get back to the activities they love.
