Because Being Unprepared Should Never Be the Reason Someone Suffers
Let’s face it—most people don’t own a first aid kit. And if they do, it’s often a glorified box of adhesive strips, half-crushed antibiotic packets, and a pair of scissors that wouldn’t cut wet paper. Even the so-called “premium” kits on the market tend to focus on piece counts – as if having 143 band-aids makes up for the fact that you can’t treat a severe bleed, clean a wound, or stabilize an injury when it matters.
We’re launching this Indiegogo campaign because that needs to change.
At My Personal Aid, we’re emergency professionals—military medics, ER docs, and paramedics—who have seen firsthand what happens when people are caught unprepared. We created these kits because we got tired of watching low-quality products hit the market, wrapped in buzzwords but lacking substance. We know what works in real emergencies, and it’s not a flimsy nylon pouch full of promotional gauze.
We’re launching this campaign to do better—and to help you do better when it counts.
The Problem with Most First Aid Kits
Walk down any pharmacy aisle or search online, and you’ll find thousands of first aid kits. They’ll advertise “200 pieces” or “fully stocked trauma packs.” But when you break down the contents? You’ll find 150 bandaids, 25 alcohol wipes, and a pair of plastic tweezers that might break before you even open them.
This isn’t just misleading—it’s dangerous. Most kits aren’t built for real emergencies. They’re designed to look full, not to function well.
That’s a problem.
- They don’t include tourniquets that meet real-world standards.
- They don’t have chest seals or trauma gauze.
- They don’t come with any instructions beyond “apply pressure” and “seek help.”
- They’re often missing the tools needed to clean a wound, splint a limb, or provide care when an ambulance is 45 minutes away—or doesn’t show up at all.
These kits give people a false sense of security. And in our line of work, that’s a deadly illusion.
The People Behind the Mission
Tom Rader, one of the founders of My Personal Aid, spent his military career as a Navy Corpsman attached to Marine Recon. He trained to stabilize trauma in austere, high-risk environments, where there was no backup, no room for error, and where you had to rely on what you had on you.
After the military, Tom led clinical IT projects and startups, but he never stopped thinking about the gap between what people think they need in a first aid kit… and what they actually need. That gap is what this campaign is meant to close.
Cabot, our other co-founder, is a career paramedic with decades of field experience. He’s worked thousands of scenes—domestic accidents, vehicle crashes, outdoor mishaps, and more—and he knows how fast a manageable injury can become life-threatening without the right tools and the knowledge to use them.
Both of us are tired of seeing kits built by marketers instead of medics. So we’re doing something about it.
A Better Kind of Kit
My Personal Aid Kits aren’t about the number of pieces. They’re about purpose-built functionality.
Each kit is designed for a specific risk level:
- Everyday Essentials Kit – For home, office, and light outdoor use. Covers common issues like scrapes, burns, bites, and pulled muscles.
- Advanced First Aid Kit – For high-impact hobbies, remote worksites, and situations where you might be hours from care. Includes bleeding control and stabilization supplies.
- First Responder Kit – For high-risk environments like long-distance travel, hunting, off-road adventures, or disaster zones. Includes splinting gear, trauma tools, CPR mask, and more.
And yes—every kit includes our waterproof, tear-resistant Medical Action Plan (MAP): a simple, no-nonsense guide that shows you exactly what to do and when to do it. We built it to help people think clearly and act decisively in high-pressure situations.
Because the truth is, you won’t rise to the occasion—you’ll fall to your level of preparation. That’s what the MAP is for.
Why Indiegogo?
This isn’t just a product launch. This is a call to arms.
We’re using Indiegogo to build a community around real emergency readiness. We want to put high-quality first aid in the hands of people who actually need it—families, travelers, adventurers, road trippers, weekend warriors, and anyone who understands that you are your own first responder.
The funds we raise will help us scale production, enhance educational efforts, and continue creating durable, accessible, and practical kits.
We’ve already field-tested the products. We’ve refined the guides. Now we need your support to get these into the world.
Help Us Change What First Aid Looks Like
This campaign isn’t about hype—it’s about readiness. It’s about building something we would trust in our own hands, in our families’ hands, and in the hands of everyday people who deserve better than a glorified ziplock bag of dollar-store band-aids.
You’ll hear us say it over and over again: Be ready. Be confident. Save lives.
That’s the heart of this campaign.
If that mission speaks to you—back us, share us, and help spread the word.
The life you save might be your own.