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Meet Cathy Orr | Co-Owner, Personalized Cause, Inc.
We had the good fortune of connecting with Cathy Orr and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Cathy, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have lupus. So, too, does my daughter. When we were first diagnosed, there were few medications available to treat many autoimmune diseases, including lupus. And there was very little understanding of the symptoms and triggers that caused this disease to be so unpredictable. Even criteria for diagnosing the disease were a challenge. According to the Lupus Foundation of America (2021), lupus symptoms can be unclear, come and go, and change. On average, a lupus diagnosis takes nearly six years from the time a person first notices lupus symptoms. A majority (63%) of people surveyed with lupus report being incorrectly diagnosed. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness and be your own advocate.
Many sites form for a specific cause or disease because someone near and dear to our hearts is struggling. This is somewhat our story, but not entirely. We created this site because of lupus, but it does not exclusively function as a lupus site. Instead, it functions as a space where medical, animal, mental health and social cause advocates can come together to advocate on behalf of themselves or others. Using simple pins, ribbons and wristbands, in both personalized and non-personalized versions, we call attention to the unseen faces behind these very important causes.
What should our readers know about your business?
Since 2001, Personalized Cause has educated the public, advocated for good health practices, encouraged awareness about cancer and social causes, stood up for animals and animal rights, and raised public awareness of mental health issues.
To raise awareness for these causes, Personalized Cause offers three major awareness products. Each product is available in a personalized and non-personalized version. Our products include personalized awareness pins and non-personalized enamel ribbon pins, cloth fabric ribbons and personalized fabric awareness ribbons, and also silicone wristbands or bracelets in both a personalized and non-personalized style. With these simple yet effective awareness items, our goal is to raise sensitivity to and understanding of medical, mental health and social movements. Causes we all hold dear to our heart deserve attention. Through these products, we offer a vehicle to do that – to advocate.
Our products, a simple yet meaningful symbol of support, have a clear purpose. We know that behind each of our color-designated causes is a person with a story to tell. It is our mission and goal to use these color-coded causes to replace fear with understanding, distance with compassion, and mistrust with love. We want all people to feel seen and heard.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The other person who deserves recognition in this story is my daughter, with whom Personalized Cause, Inc. was formed. She did the logo for the website, as well as inspiring me to continue to raise awareness not only for lupus, but many other causes.
Not long after I was diagnosed with lupus, my daughter was also diagnosed with an autoimmune illness. To advocate for her and raise awareness and understanding of both our health struggles, I searched for a pin like the pink ribbon. What I found was that lupus had two colors representing it at the time (orange and purple) and that the lupus community was fractured. It almost appeared that lupus organizations, of which there were several, were competing with one another instead of uniting in a unifying force. I searched for a way to make my voice heard, purchasing and gifting the “Get into The Loop” pin sold by the Dorough Foundation to raise lupus awareness.
Still, there was nothing available that really called attention to lupus like the pink ribbon for breast cancer or the red ribbon for AIDS. I knew I couldn’t be the only one who wished to call attention to lupus. For that matter, I thought that there must be many missed opportunities to call attention to other illnesses or causes. Even social issues.
Cancer ribbons alone don’t always humanize cancer causes because they can, at times, feel generic. What I discovered is that to understand and really advocate for a cause, there needed to be a reason. The reason, I realized, is that behind every awareness ribbon is a person who is struggling. And, that someone needs support, understanding, and compassion. For this reason, I created Personalized Cause. And I created the first individually engravable awareness ribbon to include a name, date, or message
Sometimes, others need to see a name or phrase to fully grasp why a cause is personal. In my case, “My Daughter and Me,” was inscribed on the first Personalized Cause awareness ribbon. It garnered attention. It made me an advocate even when I said nothing. Soon people began to ask the meaning behind my pin and why I wore it. My engraving spoke volumes. Our logo does, too, which my daughter designed when she was in her teens and struggling to navigate this disease.
