Teddy Bears Are a Good Therapy for Adults With Cancer

I’m a former hospital chaplain, having worked at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, and Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.

As I was making my rounds at Hartford Hospital one afternoon, I stopped at the nursing station to ask whether there were any patients I should make a special effort to see. All the nurses said there was one patient with whom they were all having problems. I asked for her room number and immediately went to see her.

I introduced myself as the Protestant hospital chaplain and told her I was there to serve as her advocate. I noticed that her hands were gripping her sheets very tightly around her neck, so I asked whether she was OK. The longer we talked, the more comfortable she began to feel with me. Then she gradually lowered her hands and revealed a teddy bear under the covers. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she said, “I’m 60 years old, and I thought the doctors and nurses would make fun of me for using a teddy bear for support.”

On that day, I didn’t have a teddy bear with me. Instead, I reached out to hold her hand. I assured her that no one on the hospital staff would belittle her for having a teddy bear. She was so relieved, and I could see the change in her face. The tension left her forehead, and a smile appeared on her face. Then I told her I normally carried a teddy bear with me, and she seemed even more content because she realized that I also valued teddy bears.

I told her it was okay to be an adult who carried a teddy bear and that there was no need for her to feel any shame. Then we had a heart-to-heart discussion, and that conversation changed her whole demeanor.

Afterward, when I went to talk with the staff at the nursing station, they were so pleased I could get through to her because none of them were able to do so. From that time on, she was one of the best patients on the floor. Everyone adored her teddy bear, and some even talked to him. After befriending this patient, the nursing staff nicknamed me “the teddy bear man.”

This is just one example of my many experiences with adults and teddy bears. There are many more stories to tell.

In my work as a chaplain, I was the person who comforted the cancer patients. I often sat in the waiting room with someone who was waiting for their radiation treatments to begin. I held a hand when someone was preparing to receive their chemotherapy treatment. When fear consumed an individual about their diagnosis, I offered a listening ear so they could express their fears. I would often lend my shoulder for a patient to cry on when things fell apart. I was there for the cancer patients and served as an advocate, working with the staff social workers of the hospitals. I also carried a tool, which was quite unusual at this time in the 1980s.

That tool was a teddy bear.

An article appeared in the Hartford Courant on July 26, 1984, written by Rosemary Keogh, titled “Just the Bear Facts: A Cuddly Kid’s Toy Tames Adult Tension.” The author interviewed me for this article, and I gave her examples of when I used teddy bears to counsel adults and children. I described that when I counseled patients, a teddy bear could reduce anxiety, especially for patients going through traumatic hospital experiences.

A few years later, I published an article called “The Power of the Teddy Bear,” in the January/February 2000 issue of the leading teddy bear collectible magazine of the 1980s, Teddy Bear and Friends. In the article, I asked the question: Why is the teddy bear so special? What is the power of this stuffed animal? My answer was very simple: The teddy bear is not just a toy. It’s an instrument of love. Its function is to comfort. Its strength is in the power of touch. Its power is truly mystical.

There’s no question that the teddy bear is a spiritual symbol as well. Through its universal appeal, it breaks through language barriers and cultural differences to bring people together. The teddy bear’s influence spans all ages, sexes and races. Everyone can benefit from owning one. In my work as a chaplain, I’ve seen the incredible power of the teddy bear to help both adults and children.

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