Bears for Babies- Preston's Bear is a local non-profit organization serving upstate and northern NY area, that helps families who have recently experienced infant loss. To give them a piece of their precious angel baby to snuggle with, cry with and to heal with. My son, Preston was 2 months old when he passed away from a congenital heart defect called hypo-plastic left heart syndrome. I wanted to
take his passing and make it easier for his older siblings. I also wanted to make the experience more fun, if that is even possible. Preston was cremated and we purchased an urn necklace that was shaped like a heart. We placed his ashes inside of the heart and threw away the necklace. My family and I then went to Build-A-Bear Workshop, picked out a bear that spoke to us all the most. As the stuffing was put in, we added Preston’s urn instead of the provided heart that they offer. We each took a turn kissing the heart and sending our wishes to our angel baby. After that, we as a family shopped together to pick out an outfit, and then named him “Baby Bear”. My children play with him constantly. They dress him up like a ninja turtle, play war games, and our daughter loves dressing him up. For me, when I miss Preston, I give Baby Bear a cuddle, and I have even caught my husband snuggling up to him as well. This bear gave my children peace and helped make our loss so much easier. We have both found comfort in watching all of our children play together. I now want to give back to other families a chance to have the same peace that my family has found. All these bears will be provided through generous donations. Please follow our page to keep up to date with all the fundraising that we’ll do to provide this comfort to families. If you would like to volunteer, donate or know of a local family please feel free to contact me.
