Blue Bear and the Artist -- a long but worthwhile story!
I'm so sorry it's been so long... longer than I realized actually. This time of year is always crazy with a ton of patients for the holidays... and I don't even ship patients later in December because travel times become incredibly unpredictable and having your best stuffed buddy stuck en route for an unspecified time is much worse than unsettling. And believe it or not, the hospital is currently booked into March, which is further out than usual by several weeks. So... all told very busy.
All that said, I've been waiting to tell you this story since Blue Bear first arrived at the hospital, and now I finally have the time to share it!
So, usually I don't know if I'll share a story till the patient is better. The stories are all about their transformations, and their family's responses, and who knows what those will be like till they're better? But Blue Bear is different because when he arrived at the hospital, this was in the box with him:
Blue Bear's person drew Blue Bear being treated by my Teddy as a nurse! I actually had one of those nurse's hats as a little kid (I'm sure Teddy remembers it). I was so so touched and I love not just the concept, but the art itself. Needless to say there is now a blue frame around the photo and it is hanging in the hospital over my work spot. (In case you don't remember Teddy, that's his picture next to DoctorBeth up top.) So thank you again Blue Bear's person, because I still love the drawing!
Ok, so on to Blue Bear's own story, which requires a bit of backtracking. His person (one of you kind people) first contacted me over 6 years ago! At the time they wrote:
I just recently found your Tumblr and, let me say, you are a godsend! My bear genuinely means more to me than anything in the entire world, as much as any pet or human life as well ;w; He's going on 27 years of wear and tear and I'd been concerned that when he gets any older there'd really be no way to repair him while still preserving his materials, so my heart melted when I saw the work you do!
Here were some of his diagnosis photos:
There were many treatment options: a spa, new toe pads, wound repair, scar minimization, transplants for balding, embroidery touchups. Blue Bear's person took it all under advisement, but wasn't ready for him to fly solo cross country yet. They touched base again a year later in 2020, but we all know what happened then. And then this year, I heard from them again!
I know I'm reaching out 5 years later, but I was wondering if you still offered this service, and if so, could I potentially get a new quote from you if there's a price difference! (I know tariffs and the closing of Joanne's may affect prices) His condition has not changed.
I have been so afraid of sending my bear across the country but he certainly needs a doctor!
They were right, Blue Bear's condition hadn't changed, and we settled on a treatment that kept him as close to original as possible (for instance bald spot transplants, not recovering, and keeping his nose as is) but restored everything possible (including toe embroidery).
A few months later (in September), Blue Bear screwed up his courage, grabbed his own stuffed emoji buddy, packed his air tag so his person would know where he was, and flew cross country with the drawing to visit the hospital.
He started his care in a relaxing bubble bath:
Once clean and restuffed, it was time to choose fur for his transplants. His aqua color was a tough match, and I ended up sending fur swatches to his person for them to choose from. Eventually, they chose this one:
It's actually one of my favorite furs. It has a little swirl, is silky soft, and, coincidentally, was really close color match for Blue Bear's aged fur color. Surgery proceeded. His balding was treated, he got new toe pads, his smile was restored, and even his "my teddy" writing got touched up. Here he is almost better (this was a chubbiness check, hence the open seam and my hand pushing on his belly):
He needed some more plumping in his belly and his head/muzzle, but eventually, he was ready to fly home:
His person wrote:
OH that is PERFECT! Thank you!
And yeah, he’s always been a lopsided guy.
But yes, my gosh, he’s perfect
So Blue Bear got in a new box with his tracker and soft padding and flew home to his family (human and stuffie) in CT.
Here he is back home:
His person wrote:
He arrived safely and I am SO happy he’s home! I definitely cried opening the box.
You fixed him up the best I could have ever hoped for. He looks amazing! It’s a real blessing to be able to hold him tight rather than have him sitting by the bed in a t-shirt for fear of him deteriorating further. He’s so secure now!
I really love the new fabric, it suits him well and is so similar in texture to his existing fur.
1000 times thank you for saving my best friends life. You’ve brought so much joy to my heart, I truly cannot thank you enough. It was an immense pleasure working with you. I wish you the best with all your future patients! I will continue to read your blog and be heartened by everyone else’s lives you will change
(and his stuffed buddies all look pretty happy too!)
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