Bella’s ‘Magic’ Bear
On Saturday 25th June, Newark Masons organised a sponsored walk around Newark Town Centre to raise awareness of the Masonic Charity, Teddies for Loving Care.
On route Nottinghamshire Freemason, Bill Ashley, bumped into an old friend Sian Broadley with her daughters Arabella and her big sister Adaline and the encounter reinforced to him why Teddies for Loving Care is such a very special charity.
Last year, at the age of three, Bella was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and had to be rushed into hospital on numerous occasions.
‘When you have a seriously ill child, you don’t stop to pack a bag or grab a cuddly toy, you just bundle them into the car and get them to A&E as quickly as possible, explained Sian, ‘Arabella would come round from a diabetic coma in hospital, unaware of where she was or how she got there.
Understandably she was very frightened and anxious.’
The Doctors and Nurses tried to settle Bella with a TLC teddy which quickly worked its magic and enabled the medical staff to communicate with her and provide the treatment she needed.
Sian feels that the nursing staff clearly understand how such incidents are also a very distressing time for siblings, as, on one particular occasion, sister Adaline was presented with her own ‘magic’ bear.
Today, Bella’s condition is stable and carefully managed.
She has a sensor permanently attached to her arm which measures her blood sugar level and an infusion pump that automatically injects her with insulin though a cannula in her thigh which controls blood sugar levels within safe limits.
Mum, Sian, has an App on her phone which enables her to monitor Bella’s blood sugar levels and alerts her if there’s a problem.
The School Nurse has also been trained in the correct procedure for helping Bella thereby allowing Sian to go to work with the knowledge that Bella is in good hands.
The ‘magic’ of the TLC bears really does touch the lives of distressed parents, family, and friends and brings a real measure of comfort in a time of need.
Teddies for Loving Care is funded by donations, if you would like to support this wonderful charity that helps children in hospitals you can send a donation to: TLC Nottingham, Sort Code 60 80 09, Act No 61138541.
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