Uwchlan resident Dr. Jim Lewis felt like he was swimming amongst sharks every day of his childhood, and most of the rest of his life his inventions didn’t seem to attract even the slightest nibble. But after recently capturing the attention of ABC’s entire Shark Tank, it all seems worth it.

“It’s still so unbelievable. You want to invent something that’s going to help people. How many people get to do that? I’m really fortunate,” he told Main Line Today during an interview.

In the article, Lewis shares how he survived the ghetto of North Philly, where he ensured safe passage to school and back by doing the homework of a gang leader for two years, and suffered a plethora of inventions that went nowhere until finally finding a breakthrough at the age of 60.

“It’s the greatest blessing and the greatest curse a person can have, because you’re always thinking about how to improve things or how to come up with something new.”

That breakthrough was Wall Rx, a simple-to-apply drywall hole patch.

“You must be able to understand the product in less than five seconds, it must solve a problem, it must have mass appeal, it must be affordable, and it must be easy to use,” he said of his secret to success. “My product hit all five requirements.”

Read more about Lewis’ adventure with real-life sharks on Main Line Today here.