Ostomy support bears

Kelly Moss is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hi
my name is kelly and I’ve had an Ostomy bag for 24yrs now. 4yrs ago I was given a teddy with an Ostomy and even after 18yrs of having one and being 42yrs old at the time it meant the world to me.
This prompted me to start up a fb page and now an instagram page, so everyone can see what I’m doing and why. I’ve had a great response but there is money needed to buy specific items for these special bears.
(the total amount I’ve raised has been over the 2.5yrs I’ve been doing these bears. To do 1 bear is about $20 Australian dollars).
I have a team of 3 plus me that make these bears happen. So we get beautiful handmade bears and we also buy bears, each bear then has surgery to create the stoma. Then we then attach the stoma and bag that comes on and off to show the the stoma as well as clothes so they aren’t naked.
These bears are donated to children under 12 free but postage does need to be paid for by the recipient. Children can use them to be taught what maybe mum and dad are doing for them because they are to young to do it themselves and show siblings, school friends and family what they have had done, parents who have an Ostomy to explain to their children, grandparents who want to explain to the grandkids what nanny or pop have and really anyone who would benefit from one young or old . It helps explain or just be of comfort for cuddles for people during and after an extremely traumatic experience. People struggling with having an Ostomy will also benefit greatly from these bears. They are also used as a great educational tool in many different areas for anyone with a stoma for many different reasons.
For the recipient of one of these bears it makes them feel comforted, and having a bear that is like them can aid in their emotional state and used as a companion whilst trying to come to terms with their new life with a stoma.
A stoma is an opening in the abdominal wall that allows the intestine to be place coming out into the bag that collects the waist our body produces instead of our bottoms.
Now that I have gone worldwide it’s important to keep this initiative going especially now we know exactly how much these bears mean to people. The response has been overwhelming but the only way to continue this is with peoples financial support. So any donation big or small is doing so much good and allowing me to continue doing this great initiative. Please help me continue to bring smiles to faces, awareness and reducing the stigma. It doesn’t just happen but these bears are definitely doing a great job at it. Let’s not stop now.
You can also ask to join the fb page I’ve set up called “ostomy support bears wa”
Or follow me on instagram “ostomy support bears”
Thanks in advance for any help.
Also please feel free to share this link with your friends and family on Facebook or instagram anywhere. The more people who know about it the more awareness and that will allow me to keep going and getting more people a bear.
When you join the Facebook page you will see such a positive outlook on Stoma’s and ostomy bags with amazing pics that will melt your insides and make smile, cry happy tears. Children who are such warriors going through such difficult times but still smiling, adults adoring their bears, as there is no age limit on loving and cuddling a teddy bear especially when they are like them with a ostomy. So far since I start in March 2019 I’ve given and sent out over 3000 bears out there to people of all ages and are just making people happy.
Thanks for your support it’s impossible to put into words how grateful I am to be able to do something so positive.
I could really do with any help you can provide whether it’s a $1 or $1000. I can’t do it without people’s support as it’s completely non profit.
You can also see from the pics attached young and older patients just adore these bears and are really proving to be much more than a bear with a colostomy bag. The awareness alone has been incredible. They help reduce the stigma attached to having a bag allowing people to show, share and educate others on what it’s like to have a ostomy. Of course the smiles on people’s faces is priceless.
ive been fortunate enough to have my story published in Canada, Russia, Australia, uk and USA, this means so much because it shows the importance of what I’m doing.