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Open Arms
More than heartache struck Marcella Johnson when she lost her new born to a rare disease just minutes after giving birth in April 1999. She also found herself suffering a dull, inexplicable ache up and down her forearms. Marcella searched in vain to find a reason for the persistent ache. A book about bereavement issues finally solved the mystery. She has a little-understood condition that can strike mothers whose children have died soon after birth. The pain, she learned, could be relieved by cradling an object roughly the weight of an infant.
Marcella decided she wanted to embrace other bereaved mothers afflicted by the condition. With a local teddy bear company, she created a specially weighted bear. When cradled, it relieves the ache in the forearms. Each “Comfort Cub” comes with a note: “I too lost my precious baby…My heart hurts so much and my arms feel so empty. My hope is that this will bring comfort. To you.”
Hundreds of Comfort Cubs have made their way into the arms of hurting moms, easing their pain emotionally as well as physically. To get more information about Comfort Cubs, contact the San Diego Hospice at (619) 688-1600.
By Lisa Cheng
Editorial Assistant
Submitted by Richard
More than heartache struck Marcella Johnson when she lost her new born to a rare disease just minutes after giving birth in April 1999. She also found herself suffering a dull, inexplicable ache up and down her forearms. Marcella searched in vain to find a reason for the persistent ache. A book about bereavement issues finally solved the mystery. She has a little-understood condition that can strike mothers whose children have died soon after birth. The pain, she learned, could be relieved by cradling an object roughly the weight of an infant.
Marcella decided she wanted to embrace other bereaved mothers afflicted by the condition. With a local teddy bear company, she created a specially weighted bear. When cradled, it relieves the ache in the forearms. Each “Comfort Cub” comes with a note: “I too lost my precious baby…My heart hurts so much and my arms feel so empty. My hope is that this will bring comfort. To you.”
Hundreds of Comfort Cubs have made their way into the arms of hurting moms, easing their pain emotionally as well as physically. To get more information about Comfort Cubs, contact the San Diego Hospice at (619) 688-1600.
By Lisa Cheng
Editorial Assistant
Submitted by Richard
