Signature Stripes - Jody Stripes and Aphasia

All of our Signature Stripes are named to support someone dear to Kristine. Our goal is to help raise awareness and funds for non-profit organizations through honoring the amazing women in her life.

How did the Jody Stripe get named? 

The Jody Stripe launched in 2014 with a focus on supporting the struggle of a fellow yoga teacher and friend, Jody Domerstad who was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor. A portion of sales from those legging were donated to help Jody cover her medical bills. Thankfully, Jody is back to teaching, still struggling with seizures and other medical setbacks, but stronger and more driven than ever to help others in their yoga and wellness journey.

How are we impacting the world with the Jody Stripe now?

The relaunch of the Jody stripe in 2015 brought the opportunity to rededicate it’s awareness raising power to APHASIA and the Adler Aphasia Center here in Northern NJ. This is a cause near to me and my family as my father survived a massive stroke in 1997, leaving him to suffer with aphasia. Aphasia is often the result of a stroke, brain injury or tumor and can be classified in many levels of severity. Jody, in fact, suffered from acute aphasia just after her surgery.

What is APHASIA?

Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. The diagnosis of aphasia does NOT imply a person has a mental illness or impairment in intelligence. My father is an incredible example of someone who has been afflicted by this communication challenge.

Ten years after my father's stroke, we discovered the Adler Aphasia Center, an non-profit organization that provides daily sessions for members to help strengthen communication skills. For my dad, it transformed a secluded, lonely life into one of inclusion, support, and confidence.

Aphasia affects about one million Americans -or 1 in 250 people- and is more common than Parkinson’s Disease, Cerebral Palsy or Muscular Dystrophy. Nearly 180,000 Americans acquire the disorder each year. However, most people have never heard of it.

How can you get involved?

A portion of profits from the sale of the Jody Stripe legging, goes directly to the Adler Aphasia Center. As their advocacy programs and funding grows, they will be able to open other centers in the US and around the world. To learn more about their efforts look them up at www.adleraphasiacenter.org

We hope and encourage you to be a part of this effort; when you wear your Jody Stripes and receive compliments or questions, mention the story behind the pants. Spread awareness of aphasia and you may impact someone with knowledge that could help themselves or someone they love.