Our six-year old son Alby became ill in June 2015, with what seemed like a tummy bug. He was still vomiting (mostly bile) and in severe pain with a bloated tummy three weeks later . The doctors assured us it was just a bad tummy bug, but our gut instincts told us something else was going on.
P.O.R.T has teamed up with A Bear Named Buttony to provide our P.O.R.T. children (and some adults) with a Buttony Bear, which mirrors their recipient, with buttons in place of tubes, and stoma bags just like the person. We are very grateful to Jenny Gow for supporting us and our remarkable children. The Bears are more than just for comfort, however. Not only do they bring comfort to a child, having a teddy just like them, but they can be an aid to explaining bags and tubes to their siblings, friends or to children in their school.
We are very proud to be able to have Buttony Bears to bring comfort to the children we support.
P.O.R.T. Trustee Lucy put together an Impact Report for our 10th Anniversary, looking back on the first ten years of P.O.R.T’s work. We are exceptionally proud of our charity and how it has progressed over the ten years, with our research and equipment funding total reaching £320,234 – and with an exciting potential research project, and another potential piece of work for P.O.R.T. to fund both in the proposal stages.
You can read our 10th Anniversary Impact report here.
There is a shortened version which is available here.
Charlie was born 4 days overdue on the 28th August 2008. Due to prolonged labour with no progression and a drop in Charlie’s heart rate, he ended up being born by emergency caesarian section.
“Some people never meet their hero I gave birth to mine”