Sep 02, 2020

Meet Our Brand Ambassadors: Sarah & Marilyn

Just real people who really like socks.

Sarah Gruber

Sarah is a professional performer and dancer who was recently diagnosed with EDS, POTS, and dysautonomia after suffering from related problems her entire life. She recently made the transition to wearing VIM & VIGR products every day to help maintain her lifestyle (aka helping her to not constantly faint). She has found compression socks to be a major help!

We asked Sarah a few questions to get to know her better – read on to learn more.

What do you do to keep life interesting?

Recently, I've been collaborating with friends to experiment with Zoom and other online services to create theatre pieces during quarantine. I'm always looking for new movies to watch, podcasts to listen to, or books to read to stay entertained.

What does everyday wellness look like to you?

Finding a balance between getting on your feet and exercising alongside knowing when to let your body rest! As a dancer, I'm a big fan of things like yoga and pilates to help my body feel it's best. I also recommend finding times to check in on your mental health, whether that's taking the time to FaceTime a friend or maybe have a therapy session. Also, stay hydrated and drink lots of water!!!

How did you find us?

My doctor recommended I start wearing compression socks after receiving a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and Dysautonomia.

Tips for Styling Compression Socks:

VIM & VIGR socks look super cute underneath cuffed jeans! They offer a little hint of color and pattern in my overwhelmingly black wardrobe. I also like to show them off by wearing athletic shorts.

Shop Sarah's Favorites

15-20 mmHg Compression Socks in Nylon

Marilyn Fulkerson

Marilyn is an active wife and grandma, living life to the fullest in Michigan. She’s survived both leukemia and breast cancer, and is passionate about helping those with new cancer diagnoses find hope. Marilyn loves vibrant colors and expressing herself through the way she dresses. In fact, before she switched to compression socks, she had over 40 pairs of fun, cool and pretty socks that she enjoyed wearing to add color to her outfits. When she found out she had to wear compression socks every day for the rest of her life, she was delighted to find VIM & VIGR as a way to continue expressing her vibrant personality and love for life.

We asked Marilyn a few questions about the busy life she leads. Read on to learn more.

What gets you out of bed everyday?

I spend a lot of time with our grandsons and granddaughter. My husband & I take them up north on vacation and have them here with us for a day or two during the week. We enjoy our time alone, and we love to hang out with our friends. We have a flower garden and love to shop for vintage items to plant the flowers in. We entertain a lot as my husband loves to smoke meat!

I love to talk to people and ask them questions to find out about who they are and their life. We lead a small group for our church, and I run a cancer support group there too. I love photography and am always looking around me to find something beautiful or interesting to shoot. My dream home would be right on Lake Michigan so I could enjoy the sights, smell, sound, and feel of it year round.

What does everyday wellness look like to you?

I used to go to the pool and swim or do water aerobics, but that is gone now with COVID. I get up and water all of our flowers and just try to keep busy! I have a stationary bike for exercise at home and use the recumbent bike at Physical Therapy twice a week when I go to get help for my bones and muscles. I enjoy walking, too, when it is cooler outside. We eat as much organic food as we can find and all of our meat is hormone free because of my experience with breast cancer.

What are your favorite V&V styles?

My favorite for comfort are the 20-30 mmHg cotton socks. I have 18 pairs!

What do you do to keep life exciting?

Traveling to different parts of our country is great fun for my husband and myself! Tasting food in restaurants that are adventurous and feature unusual tastes is something we enjoy. I really enjoy being able to share my experience of cancer with newly diagnosed patients, so that they know there is a lot of hope and they do not need to be terrified with their diagnosis.