One of the best things about Christmas is the joy of knowing we are giving a gift to someone that is meaningful to them.
Earlier this year, I travelled to Darwin to launch Humpty’s first ever Teddy Bear Care Project so that I could give a special gift to parents when they really needed it the most.
I designed a special Humpty Teddy Bear that I wanted to be able to give to the parent of every baby that uses Humpty Transport Incubators in the Northern Territory. I wanted the parents to have something to hold tight whilst their little baby was away from them, travelling for treatment. I know how meaningful something as simple as a teddy bear to hold can be for parents, as my Mum has held one tight through every one of my 132 operations.
I saved up all the money to buy the first 75 Humpty Teddy Bears to launch the project. And each Teddy Bear has a unique handwritten card from me on behalf of the Humpty family.
.jpg)
It was really special to me that we launched the campaign at an event where I could meet so many of the little children whose lives were saved by the first Humpty Transport Incubator. The parents told me how life-changing it was for them to know their beautiful babies were kept alive thanks to the generosity of the Humpty family. And it was especially moving to see those little Humpty graduates hugging the Humpty Teddy Bears.
It has been a difficult time recently with so many of Humpty’s major fundraising events cancelled due to the impact of COVID-19. But our sick babies and children need our help now more than ever before.
I can’t wait to be able to continue to work with the Humpty team to support their important mission. I’ve been fully vaccinated so that I can safely support their work in the community over the next year.
This Christmas, I’ll begin saving so that I can fund the next lot of Teddy Bears for my project. That will be my special Christmas gift.
By Lauren Channon
Humpty's Junior Ambassador