Proprietor:

Sophie Szilagyi started My Button Buddies in the fall of 2009 with her mother-in-law, Toni Szilagyi.

Business Description:

According to the My Button Buddies site, "ButtonBuddies are cloth pads designed to be worn around the gastric feeding tube (G-Tube) also called a 'button.' They are used in place of medical gauze for anyone who uses a gastrostomy feeding tube (Enteral feeding tube). Each cloth pad is about 2 - 2.5 inches across (diameter)." In addition to being absorbent and re-usable, they're also more fun for kids than medical gauze.

"ButtonBuddies look less like a bandage or a 'boo-boo.' With ButtonBuddies, children with G-tubes can have something special for themselves in a happy and positive way."

Parenting Connection:

Szilagyi was inspired to start the business by her son, Zach, who got his first g-tube when he was a little more than 24 months old. "To be honest, he is still a mystery to his doctors and they have not come up with exactly what is wrong with him. He has been diagnosed with Dyspraxia (oral, motor, verbal), SPD, gastroparesis. He is unable to eat by mouth due to major multiple food allergies." She recalls that "he was non-verbal when he had his tube placed, and the idea of having a cute little pad that we could show him was ideal and would always put a smile on his face."

Getting Started:

Zach's grandmother, Toni, "had been making the pads for a year just for Zach," Szilagyi explains. "First we had to figure out how to make the pads, and she is great at sewing. Then it was all about making a website, which is still a work in progress." Though the business was new at the time of this interview, good reviews were already coming in.

"Anytime anyone (doctors, nurses, friends, family, strangers) has seen Zach's Button Buddy, they always comment on what a great idea they are. Everyone who has bought them has been so thankful for them."

Pros and Cons:

"I want to help others and I feel like we are really doing that," Szilagyi replies when asked what the best thing is about her business. "The hardest thing is getting this all together. My mother-in-law and I are both perfectionists, so it has been a long time waiting to get this together enough to bring it out to the public. We still have a way to go and a lot to learn, but we are getting there one step at a time."

Future Plans:

"As long as there is a need for g-tubes, I feel there will be a need for My Button Buddies," Szilagyi says. "For my future I see doing the same thing -- trying to help others."

Business and Personal Advice:

Szilagyi would recommend starting a business for parents who have an idea to share. "For me it has been great to start something that is receiving so much positive feedback. It is really nice to know what we are making is helping other families like ours." Her parenting advice "is to never give up! It sounds so cliché but me, myself, I’ve found so many times where I feel I just can’t make it BUT I can and somehow I do."

More Inspiration and Advice from Sophie Szilagyi:

When did you find out your child had special needs?

We knew Zach was different from about three months of age, when he was unable to gain weight and size and was also not hitting developmental milestones on time, but he kept going undiagnosed. At 18 months old I took him to see our state's early intervention department and he was qualified. When I told his pediatrician at that time she said it was a joke, and I said, "You’re fired. Something is wrong with my child." We then went to a new pediatrician (the very next day) who immediately said, "This child needs help." She sent us to all the right doctors and time flew by –- he was a little over 24 months old when his g-tube was placed.

How has having a child with special needs affected your family?

It has affected us tremendously. Not having all the answers is very hard on all of us. Being the mom of a special-needs child is rough; it sometimes seems no one knows what you are going through. I have found very few people who relate to our situation. As a family, it has brought us much closer. Living a life that is so far away from what most people experience is tough, but I know we will survive because we have each other to lean on.

How is your child doing now?

Zach is doing fine. He adapted well to getting his feeding tube. He is finally starting to thrive with the help of his "button" and special formula. He just started ESE pre-k, and the report from his teachers is he is doing great.
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