JC Coban had his future mapped out. It was simple, really. Post college would consist of playing baseball in the major leagues and everything else would seamlessly fall into place, or so he thought. The reality? An unexpected injury would determine his future, and eventually lead himto invent the first shirt built specifically for shoulder surgery recovery.

“Shoulder reconstruction surgery”— the words nobody wants to hear. Suddenly a future that seemed so simple was put on hold for a long road to recovery.

As a college athlete and junior by the books, there wasn’t much available time to take off. JC knew that the little independence he had would soon be consumed by a recovery that would leave him dependent on other people… and this meant extra quality time with mom. “Do I really want my God-send of a mother dressing me in college?” It was time to brainstorm.

JC knew what he needed and began to design a garment that would allow himself to dress independently while still feeling comfortable and well presented. That extra quality time with mom turned into a joint venture in preparation for an independent recovery.

Experimenting with different materials, the duo started making homemade prototype shirts. Velcro, buttons, snaps…the results were all the same: bulky shirts that were too difficult to put on with one arm.

The ah-ha moment occurred one evening— JC noticed where his mom was leaving her notes on her to-do list for the day. Index cards were held firmly in place on a tiny whiteboard with nothing more than a magnet. Together they took the magnets and sewed them into a prototype.

At last, he had an opportunity to dress himself with one arm. Since the magnets were embedded inside the shirt, they easily attached, allowing JC to get dressed independently and look presentable going to class. Before they knew it, SlingShirt® - now a patented shoulder surgery shirt trusted by thousands across the country recovering from shoulder and rotator cuff surgery - was born.