Seattle, Wash. – BoxBar Vascular has announced the launch of a nationwide sock drive to raise funds for what organizers describe as a groundbreaking study into Dercum’s disease, a rare and painful disorder characterized by the growth of fatty tumors known as lipomas.
The initiative donates 100% of profits from compression-sock sales at boxbarandcompany.com directly toward the new research effort, which aims to expand scientific understanding and treatment options for the disease.
Dercum’s disease is an often-overlooked condition that causes chronic pain and significant quality-of-life challenges. For most patients, diagnosis can take years, and treatment options remain limited and inconsistent.
Dr. Ellen Derrick, MD, MPH, FACS, FSVS, founder of BoxBar Vascular and double-board certified general and vascular surgeon, said the goal with this drive is to do more than raise funds. The goal is to change how Dercum’s disease is treated and understood.
“For too long, Dercum’s disease has been treated as a surgical problem, managed through wide local excision of lipomas,” Dr. Derrick said. “But we’re learning that this disease needs to be treated systemically, not just locally. It’s a whole-body issue that requires a whole-body approach.”
Dr. Derrick, who has treated patients living with Dercum’s disease, said the study will focus on better understanding the root causes of the disease and exploring more effective systemic therapies.
“When we can study the disease in a structured, scientific way, we can move beyond short-term fixes and work toward lasting solutions,” she said. “Our goal is to bring evidence-based hope to a community that has been overlooked for far too long.”
One advocate for that community is Ray Wood, founder of Dercum’s Disease Answers, a support group and charitable organization dedicated to connecting Dercum’s patients and advancing awareness. Wood, who spent 15 years seeking his own Dercum’s disease diagnosis, says the Dercum’s disease study is a milestone for those who have long felt invisible in the medical world.
“Even to this day our treatment options are minimal, pain free is just not an option,” Wood said. “Dr. Derrick is helping us to understand our vascular difficulties and helping develop more vascular surgeons willing to treat us. We need hope and we need real answers to so many questions.”
The compression socks featured in the fundraising drive are designed to improve circulation and provide comfort—particularly helpful for those with chronic pain or mobility issues. By turning an everyday wellness product into a vehicle for change, BoxBar Vascular hopes to raise awareness along with research dollars.
Supporters can participate by visiting boxbarandcompany.com and purchasing any pair of compression socks. Every sale directly supports the study and helps advance the medical community’s understanding of Dercum’s disease.
“This is about collective impact,” Dr. Derrick said. “We can take a step toward a better understanding of Dercum’s Disease, one pair of socks at a time.”
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