Born From
Lived Experience
“My hope is to help millions of people like us – both children and adults – who dread the current process to adequately numb the chest port to prepare for needle access.”
Port Protect® was born out of our founder Jamie’s need for a better way to minimize pain, discomfort and anxiety before port needle access. Jamie’s chest port hurt every time it was accessed. Her doctor encouraged her to try lidocaine cream with plastic wrap, which proved to be messy and ineffective. Jamie searched for an existing product designed to facilitate the infusion prep process, with no luck, so she decided to create Port Protect.
Today, Port Protect has evolved into the world’s first patented device that addresses these issues. Made in a certified clean room and constructed with hypoallergenic, medical-grade materials, Port Protect provides peace of mind every time you go for an infusion or treatment.
Meet Our Founder
Meet Our Founder
My name is Jamie. I am a former attorney but am currently, and unfortunately, a disabled, chronically ill patient. I write to not only share a bit of my story, but also to share my vision for a less cumbersome, more efficient solution for numbing your chest port.
In 2017, I was diagnosed with several debilitating and rare autoimmune diseases that make every element of my life difficult. After going to some of America’s top medical institutions, I started receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) regularly. Eventually, because my veins were so difficult to stick, I had to get a chest port.
I dreaded being poked with the needle when they went to access my port, so nurses recommended numbing it with lidocaine or prilocaine (prescription) by placing a dime size amount on top of my port and covering it with plastic wrap. They explained further that a bandage would absorb the lidocaine – it needed to remain in its liquid form to be effective.
Unfortunately, as I’m sure most of you know, this treatment preparation is extremely frustrating. I would have issues with cutting the plastic wrap, lidocaine leaking through my shirt or getting on the seatbelt – it was such a mess. I often arrived at the cancer center and was not even numb because the “blob” of lidocaine that was supposed to be on my chest either shifted completely or absorbed into my clothing after leaking through the plastic wrap, so my chest port was no longer numb at the access site.
I searched online for better options and found nothing. This inspired me to develop a new solution, Port Protect, specifically designed to improve the treatment experience for chronically ill adults and children fighting a broad spectrum of diseases like cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lupus, myasthenia gravis, neuropathy, chronic lymphocytic lymphoma, etc.
Port Protect has been a huge blessing in my life. I no longer dread infusion preparation because I can quickly stick something over my chest port, fill the opening with lidocaine, close the lid, and go. Not only am I protected from my seatbelt, bra strap (women get this!), or hugs – I no longer have messes on my shirt. Most importantly, I no longer feel pain when my nurses access my port because the lidocaine cream stays in place and does exactly what it’s supposed to do: numb my chest port!
My hope is to help millions of people like us – both children and adults – who dread the current process to adequately numb the chest port to prepare for needle access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented Port Protect?
Port Protect was invented by Jamie Shultz, a former attorney and chronically ill patient diagnosed with several rare autoimmune diseases. Jamie created Port Protect after years of frustration with plastic wrap failing to keep numbing cream in place over her chest port during IVIG infusion preparation. She searched for an existing solution, found nothing, and built one herself.
Why was Port Protect created?
Port Protect was created because no product existed to reliably hold numbing cream over a chest port before needle access. The standard method—plastic wrap over a blob of lidocaine cream—is messy, unreliable, and frequently fails. Founder Jamie Shultz experienced this firsthand during her own infusion treatments and designed Port Protect to solve the problem for herself and millions of other port patients.
Is Port Protect patented?
Yes. Port Protect is the world’s first patented device specifically designed to hold numbing cream in place over a chest port before needle access. The patented design creates a sealed reservoir that keeps cream in direct contact with the skin, preventing the leaking and shifting that occurs with plastic wrap.
Where is Port Protect manufactured?
Port Protect is manufactured in a certified clean room using hypoallergenic, medical-grade materials. The clean room manufacturing environment ensures the highest standards of cleanliness for each single-use device, and the materials are specifically chosen to minimize the risk of skin irritation.
What conditions does Port Protect help with?
Port Protect helps anyone with a chest port who experiences pain or anxiety during needle access. This includes patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, IVIG infusions for autoimmune diseases, kidney dialysis, blood transfusions, antibiotic therapy, and parenteral nutrition. It is used by both adults and children across a broad spectrum of chronic illnesses.