When I was younger, I never liked seeing dextrose or IV bags. I always thought that they reminded me of pain and sickness. I feared that the product that was being pierced into my skin and into my system was not good for me at all. Also, I really did not like the idea of hospitals as the machines everywhere were too overwhelming for me as a kid and I can say I’m probably not alone on this.
Well, I’m pretty sure my younger self would be all smiles and definitely thankful for this little girl’s actions. It is without a doubt incredibly heartwarming to know about Ella Casano from Fairfield, Connecticut, a 12-year-old that has a rare autoimmune disorder herself, is helping out younger patients with their fear when seeing an IV bag.
As she experiences the rare autoimmune disorder, Ella must regularly receive an IV. She realized that other kids who do not receive one regularly so the other children could potentially find the experience quite frightening. So, she invented a stuffed animal which will then conceal the IV bag.
“When I had my first infusion, I was surprised and a little bit intimidated by the look of the amount of tubing and medical equipment on my IV pole,” Casano shares on the product’s website. “As I saw more and more children experiencing the same feelings, I became more interested in creating a friendlier experience for young IV patients,” Ella added.
For the Medi Teddy’s specifications: the back side of the pouch is made of mesh so that a doctor or nurse will be able to still see and check the medication the patient is receiving. On the front part, people will only see a cute animal instead of the overwhelming IV fluid.
Her mom also shares the same excitement for the Medi Teddy. “It’s really been heartwarming to hear such supportive emails from all over the world,” her mom mentioned. “And it’s motivating me, personally, to work as hard as I can to make this successful for Ella.”
To add to how great this invention is for children, apparently, not only kids will be benefiting from the Medi Teddy.
“We want to continue to give Medi Teddys away to as many children as we can while also meeting the global demand that we’ve seen for Medi Teddy for children, adults, and even for pets,” Casano said.
Initially, Casano wanted to share the Medi Teddy to all children in hospitals with zero cost. Now, Casano plans on expanding this invention to help other people in many other hospitals. At first they were hoping to raise money so they may produce 500 Medi Teddys which is the minimum amount so that it can be manufactured. But, to their surprise and joy, Ella’s GoFundMe page has raised over $20,000.
Would you want to order a Medi Teddy, too?
