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After several grueling rounds of chemo, Lynn Simoncini found herself preparing for a mastectomy in November 2022. She searched for advice on online forums for breast cancer patients and came across a warning that surprised her—a major challenge for patients following surgery was the simple act of wearing a seatbelt.

When Simoncini was recovering from her own operation, she found this warning was correct. it was impossible to drive comfortably with a seatbelt pressing painfully against the surgical scar. She tried wrapping the belt in a hand towel, but it didn’t work very well; other patients also came up with makeshift solutions, but some just drove unsafely while holding their seatbelts away from their chests.

Unlike other patients, however, Simoncini was well-placed to find a solution. A creative director at VML who works on the Ford Motor Company account, she sketched out a design for a seat belt attachment that could be manufactured by the automaker. With the help of her writing partner and manager, she pitched the idea to Ford. The result: Ford’s recently released SupportBelt, now available to patients nationwide—for free. 

Ford takes it on: Ford, which has a 30-year history of supporting breast cancer patients through its Warriors in Pink program, was  incredibly receptive to Simoncini’s idea, she told us. The company gave her design to engineer Emily Obert, Ford’s manager of in-vehicle accessibility in digital product design, who began developing prototypes. 

The process: As Obert worked on the project with Simoncini’s help, they discovered that the need for this belt was considerable. First, oncologists told them that the inability to wear seatbelts was widespread among patients, which Ford had not known previously, Obert said.

• The patients that Obert interviewed also said that their chests were sensitive even during chemo and before surgery, and many still had some chest discomfort long after the operation. In addition, chemo ports are installed in the upper chest and can often make wearing a seatbelt uncomfortable.
• With 100,000 women undergoing mastectomies every year in the U.S., and many more undergoing other stages of treatment, the SupportBelt would be hugely helpful, Obert realized.

The innovation: The winning design is elegantly simple. A soft foam pad, hollow on the inside, rests against the chest underneath the seatbelt, which is secured to it by Velcro straps.

• The SupportBelt’s hollow pad gives it the flexibility to conform to different body shapes, and the soft foam alleviates the pressure on the sensitive area, Obert explained.
• The belt is slightly longer than a typical seatbelt attachment, which keeps its ends further away from the chest. It is also designed to cup the shoulder and reduce pressure on that area as well, which is also often sensitive following surgery.
• Lastly, the SupportBelt is crafted carefully so that the driver can move his or her head with ease and features leather accents that complement a car’s interior.

The launch: After the company completed testing, the SupportBelt was finally ready for production and distribution. This past October, patients began getting their belts—free of charge.

• Right now, the belts are only available to the U.S., and Ford is still fulfilling its first 2,500 orders. It has more belts available, however, and is gearing up for a next round of orders.

Attention, automakers: Ford has made the SupportBelt design open source, in the hopes that other automakers will make their own versions to blend in with their cars’ materials. “That’s my dream,” said Simoncini. 

The last words: Simoncini is glad that her teenage son got to witness the development of the SupportBelt, which became a source of inspiration and pride during a painful time in their lives. She says that the whole experience makes her especially proud to work with Ford, a company that “walks the walk.”

• “This got me to work every day” during her illness, she told us.

Read more, order here: If you want to learn more about the SupportBelt or order one, please go here.