A Bear Named Buttony

The organisation’s purposes are: 4.1 To support children and young people with a stoma, by providing a specially created teddy bear, “A Bear Named Buttony”. The bear is a CE approved toy, adapted by volunteers, with a button stoma in the same position as the child’s own stoma. Buttony Bear has proved to bring instant friendship, support and comfort to a child and their family. This makes the transition from undergoing surgery to living with a stoma less traumatic. 4.2 To support, educate and raise public awareness about life with a stoma. There is a stigma attached to living with a stoma. We aim to reduce that stigma by giving presentations about our work to interested groups and health professionals. We intend to develop and distribute an educational pack created specifically for nursery and primary school children. 4.3 To support the work of paediatric stoma nurses by supplying appropriate resources. We shall develop initiatives to support and enhance the lives of children, young people and their families living with a stoma.