How one Ottawa woman’s pair of silly socks caught the attention of celebrities

When Ottawa resident Jessica Baird was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease called ankylosing spondylitis (also known as AS) in 2017, she was looking for something to help get her through her tougher days. So she turned to her friend who suffered from lupus for advice.

“[She] had said to me when I started this medical journey, 'Go out and get yourself one pair of silly socks and wear those to your appointments and you'll be able to look down at those socks and it'll just make you feel better,'” the 31-year-old former teacher recalled. “Then I thought, well that's a great idea — why don't I just run with that? And then my creative teacher brain kicked in and then I thought, 'Why don't we see if people will give me socks for 365 days?'”

So Baird uploaded a video to YouTube explaining her situation to anyone who would listen, but she had no idea just how much of an impact her request would have. She didn't get just 365 pairs of socks -—she got thousands.

And from there The Sock Project was born. 

The Sock Project is an initiative that collects “fun and silly” socks and donates them to people living with chronic illnesses. The goal, Baird explains, is to put a smile on the faces of those who are going through hard times — but it's also a way to educate and raise awareness for autoimmune diseases, as well as fundraise for research.

The response, she says, has been positive and powerful. 

“Ottawa is a really great community that really does support and help the people who live here,” Baird says. “I think that just really articulates the city that we live in — receiving the thousands of socks.”

Since its inception, The Sock Project and Baird have taken off. Baird's project was the inspiration for a children's book called The Socks, authored by Kelly Ann Charleson, and she is in the midst of designing her own line of socks, which she says will be used to help raise money for research.

Her hustle has even gotten the attention of some big celebrities like rock band Imagine Dragons, whose lead singer Dan Reynolds lives with AS. The band has invited Baird to their concert in Utah this Spring where she's been asked to hand out socks to help raise awareness on the degenerative disease.

Baird is also in talks to appear on a future episode of the Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she hopes to bring light to the “misunderstood” disease and help give hope to those struggling with their own medical hurdles.

“I had felt that so much love had been given to me [and I want that] love to be shared,” she said. “Sometimes we just need to know that when we're going through these difficult times — even if we often feel left in the dark — we are still very loved. If we can have that opportunity to pay it forward then others will see it and they'll continue to pay it forward.”

For more information on The Sock Project, visit the website by clicking here.

According to the Arthritis Society, AS is a painful inflammatory arthritis that targets the spine and joints that attach the pelvis to the base of the spine. The body's own immune system attacks healthy tissue and essentially causes bones to “fuse” together. It is difficult to diagnose, however, the Arthritis Society estimates about one per cent (or 300,000) Canadians live with the disease.