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PROVO — As a pre-med student at Brigham Young University, Brian Parker was spending almost all of his time in the library studying for finals and the MCAT, so of course he was tired.
"I'm a big fan of the power nap, so I like to put my head down on my books or desk and take a little 20 minute nap to rejuvenate the brain," he said. "I did that one time, and it hit me that the travel pillow really hasn't been perfected yet to that point. The most common is the neck pillow, but it's not really applicable to other spheres of life."
To aid those who like to sleep on the go, Parker created Morph. He is marketing the 6-inch memory foam sphere as being the "pillow of the gods." While the pillow is comfortable, what really sets Morph apart from other travel options is its case, according to Parker. Once compressed, the pillow can easily slip into bags and luggage because the case is only 1.5-inches thick.
So far, the Morph pillow has raised over $9,700 of its $20,000 goal on Kickstarter. If it funds, Parker plans to use a portion of the proceeds to create a grant assistance program for Type I diabetic families who can't afford their medical costs. He would run the program through Limitless, the nonprofit he started three years ago to help raise diabetes awareness and support research.
Business ventures are a hobby for Parker, who is set to graduate from BYU in April. He has already submitted applications for various MD/MBA dual-degree programs and is waiting to hear back. In the meantime, the Morph campaign will run on Kickstarter through Jan. 7 with pillow prices starting at $15.
