OGDEN, Utah — A little girl's trip to the emergency room a few years ago inspired a family’s mission to help others. The Mack family is trying to help kids in scary situations, one stuffed animal at a time.
"It’s scary for little people; they just don’t know,” said Alex Wilson, the emergency room manager at Ogden Regional Medical Center.
Wilson says kids can be frightened at hospitals if they are hurt or if they see a sick loved one. So having something like a stuffed animal to give them can help calm kids down.
"It’s just that little extra something that helps, that gives them that comfort and makes things better,” said Wilson.
The nonprofit "Savvy’s Stuffies" is helping keep hospital shelves stocked with comfort bears for the staff to give out.
“We are donating stuffies to hospitals to make people smile," said 7-year-old Savannah Mack. The nonprofit is named after her because of an experience they had a few years ago.
"February of 2022, Savannah fell and we had to take her to the hospital,” said her dad, Stephen Mack. “When she got there, all she wanted was her teddy bear. The medical staff there were so fast, so quick on their feet, they blew up a medical glove and drew a face on it, and gave it to her to comfort her."
After that, they decided to find a way to help make sure every child gets the support they need.
In May, the Mack family brought almost 100 stuffed teddy bears to MountainStar Healthcare's Ogden Regional Medical Center.
"We try and make smaller deliveries like this because we know you guys have only so much storage,” Stephen said.
The family says they have given more than 800 bears to different hospitals, foster care organizations and law enforcement agencies to hand out to kids.
"Makes us feel great to know that our teddy bears are going to a great cause and that they'll help,” Stephen added.
Stephen said what they do is more than just about helping kids but also teaching his daughter valuable lessons.
“It’s not always about receiving; it's good to think outside of ourselves and give back,” he said.
Hospital staff said what they do is making a difference, whether it’s to comfort kids or help explain to them what care could look like.
"It is so helpful for us to have just that little bit of something else that we know that we have, and that we can get it for them in a moment’s notice. To see those kids' faces, it just lights up the room when you walk in with a little stuffed animal,” said Wilson.
"We just want to give as many teddy bears out as we can,” Stephen added.
