Originally published on positiveimpactmagazine.com on July 23, 2011
By: Alanna Stewart (written by the 3rd grade inventor herself)
I’d like to tell you about my invention, Taking Off (pain free bandage remover) and the positive impact it has had on my life! I really didn’t like bandaids because they hurt so much coming off. I had always liked making numerous combinations from things in my house. Then one day, I had to go to the hospital and I got a huge sticky bandaid put on my arm. When I had to take it off, it hurt so bad and my arm was red for a few days after that. From then on, I was afraid to wear bandaids. This was about a year and a half ago and is what lead me to come up with something that would take bandaids off without hurting after my Mom couldn’t find anything on the Internet.
I had made a few different combinations, but they didn’t work and then finally I made something that did work! For a fun project, my Mom and I got bottles and made labels and I gave it to a couple of friends in my class. Then, all the kids started asking for it because it also hurt them to take bandaids off. After they started asking for seconds because they had brothers and sisters, we knew we had something that could sell in stores.
My parents and I researched online and found an organic based lab that was able to create a more sellable product for me from what I told them I used. After that, my parents put out a press release for fun and within a week, CBS’s The Doctors called wanting to do an interview! After that, we put together my website, www.bandage-remover.com, which was a lot of fun. I came up with my trademark name and logo using the hummingbird picture for the website.
I was excited to be on The Doctors and happy they liked my product. They called me on the phone, and had my photo up on their screen behind them while they made the show. They were really nice and super positive about my product. After that, my product sold out! I felt really proud of myself!
The parents of a girl in my class carry my product in their health food store and ABC Action News did an interview on me and I invited a few of my friends to make it a lot of fun because this was my second interview.
Then, University of South Florida saw that news story and wanted to interview me because I had sent in an application for my product to their Young Inventor’s contest the year before but did not win. They did the interview with me based on not giving up and believing in yourself.
It’s very important to believe in yourself no matter what!
After that, I was in an article in Destinations Safety Harbor. The Doctor’s did a re-run of the show I was on and my product sold out again! One of the Doctor’s from the show The Doctors, took my product on The Rachel Ray Show with him which told me that he must have really liked it!
Also, a Chiropractor called my Mom to have her tell me that I inspired her to move forward with a product that she invented and just hadn’t had the confidence to do it, but reading about my story and what I did, she knew she thought that if I could do it, she could too.
It’s been a lot of fun and I know that I can do anything! Anyone can do anything that they decide to do if they just do not give up. I think that if you make something, you might start small like just giving it to your classmates or people you know if you just believe, you can make it a big success!
Love Infinity (aka Charity) is a global influencer on a mission to share the power of unconditional love with people world-wide.