I’d just like to say thank you for the wonderful gift of a teddy to my 2-year-old daughter. She attended A&E this weekend with breathing difficulties and was given one of your teddies. I can’t tell you how much it helped to keep her calm during the medication, treatment and X-ray to have her ‘hospital teddy’ alongside her. This was just so helpful to us, as the most important thing was keeping her calm and not distressed, as this would have aggravated her breathing difficulty. Her teddy also helped when we returned home, encouraging her to take her medicines and giving her a friendly cuddle and words of encouragement.
A couple of years ago, my young daughter attended A&E with a head injury. She was in quite a lot of pain and distress and was frightened, as it was her first experience of hospital. She was presented with one of your teddy bears for being brave, and this brightened her up considerably. Her bear (she called him Lucky) was treated in just the same way as she was: his head was cleaned with cotton wool and he also had a special plaster to make him better. The distraction made my daughter’s treatment so much easier, and she has loved this bear ever since… he is still the one she takes to bed and has cuddled every night since she got him. Lucky has been on family holidays with us and been through the washing machine a few times (so although he might not look quite as smart as before, he has had a great time!)
What a wonderful idea. Thank you so much for helping us through a very stressful weekend.
My little boy cuddles his teddy every night without fail—he received it from A&E at James Cook Hospital, and it really helped him settle while he was there. A very thoughtful gift; thank you.
I just wanted to thank you so much for this wonderful idea!
Last night, my 4-year-old son had his first visit to A&E after a fall. Imagine how pleased he was to receive Lucky’s twin brother, who he has called Mr Pickles. Mr Pickles had a busy night and had some X-rays, but is now feeling much better and has come home with my little boy. He will be going to nursery today to tell my son’s friends about his adventure at St Mary’s, and I’m sure he will be as well-loved as his twin brother Lucky!
Thank you so much for this fantastic gift—the timing completely changes what can otherwise be a traumatic experience for a child, bringing comfort and a welcome distraction during a frightening time.