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Johnson & Johnson and the Number 8

He loves his balance bike. He puts on his helmet, gets in position and off he goes. I picture his hair flailing in the wind, except it’s now matted down with boy-sweat and his bright red helmet.

The little guy who is normally attached to my side is now riding down the sidewalk without a care in the world. He’s so proud and I am even prouder. Off he goes, the distance between us gets bigger and bigger. As he gets closer to the corner, he turns his head to make sure that I am back there – somewhere.

The first rule of biking, as you know, is “keep your eyes forward”… as he turns his head, his eyes search for me – and his little uncoordinated hands unwillingly turn the handlebars and DOWN HE GOES.  

Three, two, one… there’s the cry – the saddest cry I have ever heard. He’s sad he fell, he’s sad his balance bike failed to continue going straight, he’s sad I am so far behind him – and of course, the blood from his scraped knee doesn’t help matters either.

I’m at his side in seconds, but to him it probably felt like hours. I pick up him and the balance bike in one swoop and we quickly retreat to the house to assess the damage.

The First Aid Kit is full of antiseptic ointments, bandages and sterile wound cleaning solutions. Within a minute, he’s patched up and as good as new. The crocodile tears have been dried and we hug each other in a long embrace. His little four-year-old arms are wrapped around my neck as his hands gently pat my back, as if I was the one with the boo-boo.

The convenience and reassurance of having sterile bandages available at a moment’s notice is something we often take for granted, nowadays.

Imagine a time where something as simple as a scraped knee could turn into a deadly infection due to the lack of knowledge and resources. I look at our First Aid Kit and I notice it’s filled to the brim with Johnson & Johnson products.

Did you know that Johnson & Johnson created the First Aid Kit back in 1888?  

Image Courtesy: Johnson & Johnson Archives

It was in the same year, that they published a book: Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment. The book was distributed to 85,000 medical professionals and became the how-to guide for how to perform sterile operations.

As it turns out, years ending in the number “8” have historically been cornerstone years for Johnson & Johnson. They happened to introduce pioneering products those years, so it’s safe to say that “8” is Johnson & Johnson’s lucky number.  

Image Courtesy: Johnson & Johnson Archives

Johnson & Johnson’s Connection with the Number 8

Check out these other incredible achievements for Johnson & Johnson in the “8” years:

• 1888: In addition to the published book and the First Aid Kit already mentioned, Johnson & Johnson introduced “Papoids.” It was a papaya-based indigestion product.
• 1898: The first mass-produced dental floss was put on the market, making dental cleaning products more affordable.
• 1918: The worldwide flu pandemic of 1918 killed about 50 million people worldwide. 675,000 in the United States lost their lives that year to the flu. Johnson & Johnson made influenza masks to protect the public from the highly contagious virus.
• 1928: The first toothbrush marketed by Johnson & Johnson was sent to market. Even though few Americans regularly brushed their teeth. Johnson & Johnson over the years kept improving the product until a satisfactory customer experience was achieved.
• 1968: The RhoGAM® Vaccine preventing the Rh hemolytic disease in infants came to market. The autoimmune condition used to claim the lives of 10,000 infants every year. Since the development of the vaccine, countless lives have been saved.
• 1978: Johnson & Johnson decided to stay in New Brunswick and start building their World Headquarters, which helped revitalize the city.
• 1998: Dermabond® Topical Skin Adhesive® was the first FDA-approved topical skin adhesive. The product was a new alternative to sutures, staples and skin strips to seal skin.

Johnson & Johnson has been a household name for over 130 years. Now that we are in a year ending in “8” I have to admit, I am excited to see what the future holds for Johnson & Johnson. Their advancements and products don’t disappoint and improve the health and lives of their target audience.

What do you think will be the next “new thing” to come out of the Johnson & Johnson labs?

… and by the way, Jonah’s little bit of “road rash” healed up perfectly with the magical items I found in our First Aid Kit! Johnson & Johnson came to our rescue, once again.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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