A Ballater charity is introducing children across the country to a cuddly bear named Buttony, who has a stoma and is searching for friends “just like him”.
A Bear Named Buttony has been operating since 2015, breaking the “poo taboo” by showing kids not to be embarrassed by their condition.
It donates fluffy bears with small disks on their tummy, made to look like a colostomy bag, to youngsters who have undergone bowel operations.
It was launched by Ballater mum Jennifer Gow and a group of her friends to raise awareness of the lack of support for people with bowel and bladder conditions.
The inspiration for the bears came from Jenny’s daughter Eilidh, who had a stoma procedure when she was just three years old.
Since then, the initiative has come on leaps and bounds – with Jenny being awarded an MBE in 2019.
Now, adding to its success, the charity is publishing its very first children’s book all about Buttony’s journey finding other kids who are proud of their stomas.
Giving Buttony a voice
The book, A Friend Just Like Me, was written by children’s clinical psychologist Kathryn Bradley after her daughter underwent the procedure at an early age.
She was just two days old when she needed emergency surgery to form a stoma.
However, thanks to the growing outreach of A Bear Named Buttony, the snuggly teddy left a lasting impression on Kathryn.
Inspired by her daughter’s time in hospital and the bear’s message, she took pen to paper to gave Buttony a voice.
Kathryn, who lives in the East Midlands, said children explore their world and work through difficult problems through play and stories.
She wrote the story mostly for her own kids, but thought other youngsters could benefit from it too.
After she sent it over to the charity, Jenny proposed publishing it for everyone.
“I didn’t really expect to hear anything back,” she added.
“But then [Jenny] came back and said it was wonderful.”
Kathryn’s daughter, now five-years-old, has the rare condition Hirschsprung disease, which causes poo to become stuck in the bowels.
She said: “I think it affects only one in 5,000 births, so to find anything that is in support of her condition is really rare.
“Which is part of why I wanted to contribute something. It’s because I know how hard it is to find. That inspired me to create something.”
‘Buttony made us feel like we weren’t alone’
With the book’s launch, Kathryn has been thinking about all the families that are going to read it, and have a “magical story to go along with this magical bear”.
When she was first handed Buttony, she realised she couldn’t be the only parent experiencing such a stressful event.
“If this teddy bear exists, then we can’t be the only family going through this,” she added.
“There must have been families who’ve gone through it before.
“And it was a bit of a connection, in a way, to other families who were going through the same thing.
“It’s wonderful to think that the book going to be there to help all those people.”
Kathryn said the project, which has been two years in the making, is a way of giving Buttony a voice after he has given a voice to so many children and families.
She also sang the illustrator’s praises for her vision, saying Georgina put her “heart and soul” into the creation of Buttony.
Bringing Buttony to life
Georgina Croll was brought on as the illustrator, and she holds a close and personal connection to the project.
The 22-year-old, from Ballater, grew up alongside Jenny’s daughters and would hear stories of Eilidh’s condition.
Georgina said it was an honour to be asked to come on board, particularly because she was still a student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee at the time.
She added: “Seeing it actually printed is crazy.
“It’s like ‘Wow, that’s actually something I illustrated’.
“It feels partly mine, but it is 100% Kathryn’s. It just feels so great to illustrate something that’s her hard work and because it was something that she’s gone through.
“And that it might help parents or kids understand what’s happening.”
One of her creative decisions included making sure Buttony remained smiling through each hand-drawn panel.
“It’s a tricky thing kids have to go through. I didn’t want him to be in distress or angry,” she said.
“Even when he came up with hardships, he’s always smiling throughout the book. That was important.”
‘A real representation of what Buttony means’
The last panel hold special significance to Georgina, who said it was the first image she sketched for the book.
She was scrolling through Buttony’s Facebook page when she came across an image posted by a mother.
The photo was of her son taking a nap after school and hugging Buttony. Georgina messaged the mother and asked if she could use the image as a reference.
“I thought that’s exactly what Buttony is there for, it was perfect,” she said.
“I just wanted that to be in the book, a real representation of what Buttony means.”
Get people speaking about bowels
The book’s launch date is extra special for the charity as it also marks Buttony’s birthday, who just so happens to share the date with Jenny’s daughter.
She added: “We’re just really excited. And, obviously, for the families, there will be another way to support them.
“The book will be donated along with the bear. Families who’ve already got a bear will be able to get in touch and get a book and we’ll donate them in the same way.
“It’ll make these families feel less isolated. It will just be a great step forward.”
And most importantly, Jenny said the book will help raise more awareness and get people talking about bowels.
“It’s not a taboo subject. We really need to get talking about it.
“So, I’m really excited about another opportunity to get people talking about bowels and realise it’s normal.”
To find out more about sponsoring a bear and a book, visit A Bear Named Buttony’s website here.