Mother honors son's memory by comforting COVID-19 patients, families & medical staff
In their continuous mission to help families cope with stress and heal after tragedy, The Comfort Cub team plans to give away 1,000 comfort cubs throughout the next several months. The Comfort Cub is a weighted teddy bear, proven by both doctors and therapists to ease anxiety and bring a sense of peace to people during times of tragedy.
SAN DIEGO, April 10, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Originally created to comfort mothers after the loss of a child, The Comfort Cub is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to comforting everyone. Holding a weighted therapeutic Comfort Cub triggers the brain to release key neurotransmitters including oxytocin causing the body to relax and feel comforted. Doctors, nurses and patients alike agree The Comfort Cub can be used to ease anxiety stemming from many issues, including COVID-19.
Pediatric Palliative Care and Bereavement Social Worker at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital Gina Kornfeind expressed the urgent need for cubs. "Now more than ever we hope to bring comfort to those in need, not only to our patients and families, but to the brave hospital staff on the front lines as well. The Comfort Cub is the perfect thing to give them," she said.
This is an important time to make sure hospitals have access to Comfort Cubs as COVID-19 causes many people to feel anxious as the number of confirmed cases increases.
The Comfort Cub is a weighted teddy bear, proven by both doctors and therapists to ease anxiety and bring a sense of peace to people during times of tragedy.
In their continuous mission to help families cope with stress and heal from tragedy, The Comfort Cub team plans to give away 1,000 comfort cubs throughout the next several months. Their mission will begin in Los Angeles at UCLA Health and continue from coast to coast with deliveries to both hospitals and individuals in need. Johnson and her team of volunteers had decided on the massive giveaway long before the COVID-19 outbreak. April 11, 2020, would have been her son's 20th birthday. Johnson wanted to honor her son's short, yet meaningful life by comforting others. While the intention was originally to focus on parents mourning the loss of a child, Johnson saw the great need to comfort families who are losing loved ones to COVID-19 complications or those simply feeling isolated and depressed while a loved one recovers in the hospital.
The Comfort Cub is the world's very first weighted therapeutic teddy bear. It was invented by founder Marcella Johnson in 1999 after the loss of her infant son, George, due to a congenital disease. The Cub was developed to help other mothers who suffered from the loss of their infant. The Comfort Cub is specially weighted and is intended to simulate the weighted comfort of cradling a newborn.
While the initial intent of The Comfort Cub was for child loss, evidence shows it provides profound relief for any traumatic event. This includes having to leave the hospital while your baby is still in the NICU, the loss of a spouse, parent, loved one or beloved pet. It has also been effective for occupational & autism therapy, adoptions and those experiencing divorce or traumatic loss.
Due to deep touch pressure, holding The Comfort Cub triggers the brain to release key neurotransmitters and "the cuddle hormone", which causes the body to relax and feel comforted. The Comfort Cub has been scientifically proven to decrease heaviness in the chest & aching in the arms, as well as other physical manifestations of a distressing loss. Comfort cubs may be ordered online by visiting https://www.thecomfortcub.org. Website visitors may also choose to purchase a cub and donate to a family in need of a cub.
SOURCE The Comfort Cub
Share this article