By Becky LaSalle
Studies show that when we hug, we feel less lonely. Hugs lower our heart rate, blood pressure, and the levels of the harmful stress hormone cortisol. After the loss of a loved one we need hugs more than ever but sometimes the only hug we want is from the person we lost.
Enter the Bear Hugs program at Home Hospice of Grayson, Cooke & Fannin Counties. Volunteers take clothing or other fabric items brought in by families and turn them into teddy bears. The bears are the perfect size for a hug and since they often carry the scent of the lost loved one, they become a source of welcome comfort.
Miriam Wallace says, “I chose my husband’s favorite blanket that he used during his last days of life here on earth as the material for my bear. It still had Mike’s scent on it for a long time. Thank you, Bear Hugs volunteers!” She calls her bear “Daddy’s Bear” and named her canine friend, “MannyBear.”
The bears are loved by all ages. One set of bears was given to the grandchildren of a former Home Hospice patient. They call their bears “Papa Bear” and sleep with them every night. Even two years after their Papa passed away they continue to sleep with the bears and hug them when they miss him. The bears provide a precious connection to the loved one at a time when they feel so lost. Sometimes, comfort is hard to come by after a loss but having something tangible to hold on to helps to sooth a broken heart.
All the bears are made with love by volunteers in the Bear Hugs program. We all need a hug from time to time. For more information about the Bear Hugs program or to see more pictures, you can visit the Home Hospice of Grayson, Cooke & Fannin Counties facebook page at www.facebook.com/homehospiceofgrayson or visit their webiste at www.homehospice.org.
“They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything.”––Bil Keane
