Maria Odenkirk began The Mobility Queen after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2018 that left her partially paralyzed. She underwent physical therapy and eventually found herself at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
“I didn’t go there as a patient,” says Odenkirk, “I went there as someone who did trials, clinical trials for new products and new medication.”
While at the AbilityLab, Odenkirk realized there was an opportunity for even more product development.
A background in product development leads to The Mobility Queen
Every product on Odenkirk’s website has been personally tested. She hopes to one day work with companies to perfect their products.
“We are the users in the end. We know best,” says Odenkirk. “To give you a really good example, it’s the shower chair, it’s the first thing that made me think of it. Because finally, you get to go in and have a shower by yourself, which is a wonderful thing I can assure you! But by the time you get there, you sit down, and then everything you need is back up in a niche that you have to stand up and reach and get.”
Solutions for temporary mobility issues
“There’s a lot of accidents and knee replacements every year,” says Odenkirk. “There’s knee and hip replacements, like 4.5 million of them in our country every year. And with arthritis, there’s 58 million who suffer from arthritis.”
Mobility solutions can help a lot of people who need temporary help after surgery or an injury.
“There are some things you would need, like the bed bar,” says Odenkirk, “it’s a great thing for a lot of people. Or shower bars that you temporarily put in while you’re going through that time.”
Maria Odenkirk is a Naperville native
Odenkirk is one of seven children, and she says they are all funny, even if only one (Bob Odenkirk) is famous. She attended Naperville North High School. She started her career as a buyer, and eventually made her way to product development. This background led her to The Mobility Queen.
630 Naperville Guest: Maria Odenkirk, Disability Advocate
