Innovative Teddy Bag Brightens Hospital Stays for Kids

When Ella Cazano from the U.S. was seven years old, she was diagnosed with a rare condition called Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), which developed following a viral infection that attacked her immune system and destroyed her blood platelets.

Ella receives her treatment weekly in the form of an infusion. Initially, the sight of all the tubes and medical equipment was daunting. "It's not easy to see all the tubes and medical equipment on my pole every day," writes the 12-year-old on a special website she launched to promote her unique invention. "The more I visited the hospital, the more kids I met who felt just like me. Seeing so many children go through the same experiences made me think about how I could help them and make this situation more creative."

This is how Teddy was born - a special bear-shaped bag designed to hide the tubes and medical gear, giving children a more pleasant feeling while they receive their treatment.

"It's much nicer to look at Teddy instead of a bag of fluids creeping into our bodies. At least with Teddy, the treatment becomes a bit less scary," she concludes.

Recently, Ella received a patent for the Teddy bear, and now the first 500 units are being produced, which Ella plans to donate to children of different ages hospitalized in various medical centers.