About
My name is Christian
And Im a senior in high school. And at one point in my life I was a pediatric patient. I hope you will join me in my mission to help other pediatric patients through The Best Friends Project.
We can make a difference in the lives of these children through new stuffed toy donations from individuals and businesses, as well as through fundraising for monetary donations towards the purchase of new comfort toys.
The Best Friend Project then delivers the new stuffed comfort toys to specialty pediatric offices, pediatric emergency rooms, and pediatric hospital unites. And from there medical staff is able to provide additional comfort to their pediatric patients that are experiencing the fear that so commonly occurs for these children.
Through your support The Best Friends Project can help bring a little extra comfort into pediatric patients lives by giving them a best friend to hold onto.
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The Inspiration Behind
The Best
Friends
Project
The Why and How
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I want to share a little bit with you about why I started The Best Friend Project so you have a better understanding of why it’s so important to me.
After experiencing my own medical journey as a pediatric patient, and the worry and fear of not knowing what would happen I was blessed to be given my future back thanks to my doctors, medical science, and the support and prayers of my family. And Im not going to waste a moment of the future that lays ahead of me.
But as my life moved forward I couldn't forget about some of the other pediatric patients I had seen who were coming in and out of appointments when I was there waiting for my own. Mostly I would watch them in the waiting room to distract myself from what I was worried about. I saw that sometimes they were scared, and other times they were lucky because they were too little to know what was coming, or why they should be worried. Some pediatric patients were so little, and others were elementary age, middle school age and high school age. And no matter their age I know their parents felt fear just like mine have. Sometimes I would hear the younger ones cry in the next room from mine at appointments, or at the hospital during testing. I felt sad for them because I know what it’s like to be afraid. But at least I could understand more than they could because I was older than the youngest ones. It reminded me of times when I was little and scared and I would hold onto my stuffed dog Sophie ( named after my actual golden retriever dog). My stuffed Sophie Dog went pretty much everywhere with me when I was little, and slept with me every night. She made me feel better, and safer. I still have her in my memory box my mom keeps my most important keepsakes in. So when I would see the little kids scared and having to go through some of the things I knew I was going through it made me remember Sophie Dog and how much she helped me. And as someone who wants to go into science and medicine myself I spend time doing medical shadowing with different types of physicians . So when I shadowed I would sometimes see little kids, and older kids who were scared then as well. And it made me think how they too needed a Sophie Dog like I had when I was little. A stuffed animal doesn’t fix everything, but having my childhood stuffed puppy to hold onto when I was little always helped me. I can't heal any of those pediatric patients who are sick, but I knew I could help some feel less afraid if they had a best friend to hold onto. So I reached out to different toy store, shop owners, and others to see if they might be interested in helping me by providing The Best Friends Project with donations of new stuffed animals to pediatric offices, medical departments, and emergency rooms. And I have received such supportive commitment from companies like Toys and Co, and Polliwogs in donating the stuffed animals, and helping raise monetary donations for the purchase of the comfort toys for the pediatric patients who are being treated, or undergoing testing. I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested in helping a high schooler with something like this but it’s been really exciting to see others commit and want to help. It's been a reminder that humanity is all around us if we just look.
So this is really meaningful to me as it feels like it is all tied to my own path of eventually doing something with science and medicine as I look towards college and my future. My family and I believe that there is a reason for why things happen. And as much as I wish I didn’t have to cope with what my own medical experiences brought upon my life, it has given my the ability to understand what it feels like to be the patient sitting on the table with the crinkly paper below me waiting for test results, and feeling real fear. And what the emotional tole is deep down inside when you have to just push through even though you're worried and scared the entire time of what is happening in the moment, and what will be revealed about your future. Doing the Best Friend Project inspired by my own childhood stuffed toy, Sophie Dog and my experiences as a pediatric patient seems to have more meaning if I can create something like this from it.
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I hope you will join me in this mission to make a difference for pediatric patients by helping make it possible for them to have a best friend to hold onto during some of life's hardest moments.
Sincerely,
Christian
Stuffed Animals' Impact on Childhood Mental Health
​​According to the International Collegiate Journal of Science, stuffed animals are vital in developing a child’s sense of security and help children in times of stress. The mere feeling of cradling something soft and relaxing can soothe young children, as well as help ebb anxiety and fear.
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Developmental psychologist Dr. Esther Hess works at The Center for the Developing Mind,where she treats children and adolescents impacted emotionally or with intellectual disabilities. She said stuffed animals are transitional objects, helping a child in their journey from dependence to independence.
Hess said stuffed animals also provide a sense of reality to children by grounding them when they are feeling stressed. They can also help cultivate their creativity and imagination. Hess said children often take their stuffed animals everywhere they go.
“The animal, in a certain sense, experiences life the way the child does. And oftentimes, the child can then use make-believe to have in their minds a dialogue with that stuffed animal about how their day has been going,” Hess said. “No matter what, stuffed animals are always there to provide security … [They are] sometimes a displacement for anger, sometimes displacement for tears.”
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According to Hess, stuffed animals have more uses than just providing emotional support, as they can also be a companion to look to in hard times.
“Sometimes, the stuffed animal can be a representation of what’s going on in the child’s life — for example, a medical issue,” Hess said. “And it’s not the child who’s going through the medical issue, but the stuffed animal is going through the medical issue, so there’s a lot of different ways that the stuffed animal can take on almost magical qualities.”
Stuffed Animals Reduce
Stress and Anxiety
The act of holding or cuddling a stTuffed animal or plush toy can stimulate the release of oxytocin, the "feel-good" hormone that promotes a sense of calm and The act of holding or cuddling a stuffed animal or plush toy can stimulate the release of oxytocin, the "feel-good" hormone that promotes a sense of calm and well-being. In moments of distress, a stuffed animal can provide a tangible anchor of emotional comfort.well-being. In moments of distress, a stuffed animal can provide a tangible anchor of emotional comfort.​
Upcoming Projects to Fund
We are very excited to announce our partnership this November with the Greensboro, North Carolina children's boutique Polliwogs! Stay tuned for more details as we share how you can help Polliwogs raise funds to support the purchase of new stuffed comfort toys for pediatric patients in the Triad area.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help bring comfort to pediatric patients through monetary donations that go 100% towards the purchase of new stuffed toys that the pediatric patients get to keep. Simply reach out to us directly, or click the link here on our website to donate directly to The Best Friends Project now.
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Also watch for our upcoming fundraising events that you can contribute to by donation of a new stuffed toy, or through your donation during an event that raises monitay funds for the purchase of the comfort toys for pediatric patients.
Further Reading
This section offers additional reading that highlights how stuffed toys can alleviate anxiety, provide comfort, and reduce fear for pediatric patients. To learn more, click the links to these insightful publications.
Upcoming Events
Welcome to our Upcoming Events section!
Here, you'll find the latest news, donation opportunities, updates, and fundraising events aimed at supporting pediatric patients through comfort toy donations at pediatric offices, hospitals, and emergency rooms. Stay engaged with our efforts to bring relief and comfort to children facing difficult medical circumstances.
