25 March 2023

My latest patient underwent quite a transformation in the course of his treatment at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital, and its affiliated enterprise, Sasha's Teddy Bear Outfitters))

Edward was a lifelong companion to his owner, and even had her name written on his back in green biro at the time when he accompanied her during a long hospital stay when she was still a little girl.

Having been restored to good health, and given new eyes of the same kind as his long-lost original ones, Edward also received a nice new waistcoat. At his owner's request, I made it from her daughter's skirt. I recycled his makeshift eyes too, turning them back into waistcoat buttons!

For his new shorts and waistcoat pockets, I used the old overalls that Edward was wearing when he arrived.

24 March

A few more patients were discharged from Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital in recent days.

Thomas, who is in his 30s, needed not much more than some plumping up, a gentle clean and brushing.

Chester, aged about 70, required a lot more attention: he had lost all his paw pads, and was spilling straw. Once the new pads were in place and some stuffing was added, he perked up considerably, and was in good spirits as he left hospital.

The Cat and the Dog, along with a couple of other members of the same family, were among the easiest patients to treat; they looked as good as new once I patched a few small holes, gave them a gentle clean and brushed their fur.

21 March

With most of my patients, I have no trouble establishing what species they belong to - but when 40-something Scraggy was admitted to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital, I was at a loss. His taxonomy, however, was the least of my - or his - worries, because Scraggy was in a bad way. He had big holes in his mouth and on his neck, he lost his eyesight (though not his eyes)... Oh, and his hair was all matted!

After a good wash and a few days of treatment, Scraggy was back to his best. Having said tearful farewells to other patients with whom he had become friendly, he travelled back home to Kent, where he was happily reunited with his lovely girlfriend.

10 March

The second Bunny admitted to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital this year was feeling rather flat when he arrived. Fortunately, there was nothing much wrong with him otherwise, so after just a couple of days in intensive care, he was full of life (and polyfill) again, and rejoined his family soon afterwards.

Venerable old Bear, on the other hand, spent longer in my care, having lost one ear and one eye in addition to sustaining a serious foot injury. He insisted that he had not been in a fight, and of course I believe him. In any case, Bear received all the necessary treament, and went back home feeling happy and much younger.

As for BooBear, all he really needed was a bit of TLC to make him bouncy and fluffy again, plus a nose job.

7 March

My first new Teddy of 2023 is Manuel, a nice and kind little bear obsessed with finding biscuits.
He has a little bell on his necklace, so I always know where he is (looking for biscuits, of course).

My recent patients at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital have all been soft toys. Three of the four shared more or less the same affliction and - would you believe it! - almost the same name.

Dark and blue-eyed Big Ted, aged 45, small snow-white Teddy, aged 27, and cream-coloured Ted, also in his 20s, were all in need of extra stuffing to perk them up.

The fourth patient, Islush (pronounced eye-loosh and named after the Isle of Wight, where he was adopted) had nearly lost his nose in a vicious puppy attack. His family introduced Islush to me as a dog, though my husband - who fancies himself as a zoologist - insisted that he (Islush, not my husband) was a Lesser Panda. I will leave it to you to decide...

13 February

57-year-old Yarry arrived in Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital with an obvious neck injury and some unsightly holes in his limbs. His nose and smile were also in need of some attention. Made by his adoring owner's grandmother, he had been with her since birth, and she would run into a burning building to save him. She vividly remembered from years ago that Yarry once looked quite different - in her mind's eye, he was red and orangey. When I unstitched Yarry's green-and-black top and brown leather trousers, it became clear that she was right - he had different clothes under the later addition!

Alas, his original orange shirt and red pants were beyond repair, so I had to think of sonmething else to make him look like he used to. A day trip to Abingdon, with its amazing Mason's Fabric Shop and no less wonderful charity shops, provided a solution. The fabrics I found there were a perfect match for Yarry's old clothes. And so, having brought Yarry back to health, I set about making him new trousers and shirt. I also added a little fetching removable collar. When my work was finished, the owner told me she was completely overcome with emotions upon seeing her beloved Yarry just as she remembered him.

10 February

A very nice 30-year-old Bunny was admitted to my Hospital this month. Much loved by his owner, who was very reluctant to part with him even for a short while, he was in need of some gentle cleaning, brushing, patching and plumping up.

Even though Bunny is a boy, he has been wearing a dress all his life, and that dress has certainly seen better days. My task, therefore, was to make him a new one while he was recovering from his treatement.

A close examination of Bunny's old dress revealed that it once boasted a pretty polka dot pattern, so we decided that the new one should be a similar design, and also with polka dots. Bunny seemed to like his new dress very much, but he still wanted to take his old one with him, perhaps to use as a nightie. So I washed and mended it, and when it was time to say good-bye, the old dress was neatly folded and put into a cloth bag made specially for the occasion. Bunny was collected by his owner's mother, who came prepared, with the aforementioned cloth bag and a beautiful little cot-in-a-box. It very much felt like discharging a newborn baby from a maternity ward, and I hear that Bunny's owner was delighted to be reunited with him.

7 February

I have treated another couple of dog Teddies at my Hospital this month. 

Young Fetch was quite an easy case - he had simply lost his nose, so needed a new one. 

Pluto spent a bit longer in my care: in addition to feeling rather flat)), he had a few holes to mend, and a kink in his tail to untangle.

Both have now been discharged, and are feeling good as new.  

5 February

Over the last couple of weeks, I treated a few more traditional and modern Teddies at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital. The oldest was 70-year-old Gilbert, who had broken his neck and needed new skin grafted on his leg, new paw pads, a new nose and more. Brian the Giant Panda received week-long treatement to look his best as a guest of honour at a very special wedding. Mischief had to have his severed arm reattached, which fortunately proved fairly straightfowrad, while Percy needed a bit of sprucing up.

23 January

My latest patient, 40-year-old Baba, was admitted to the Hospital following a tragic accident with a washing machine. She sustained severe facial injuries, was suffering from weight loss, and was in need of new shoes, as hers were badly damaged. During treatment, I discovered - and was able to reconstruct - her original nose, which had for years been hidden under a cover following earlier plastic surgery. Once Baba recovered, I helped her back into her lovely dress, made years ago by her owner's nanny.

17 January

New year, new Teddies! Well, new old Teddies to be precise, though some are older than others.
So far this month, I have had a few bears called Ted or Teddy, all totally different but all badly in need of some stuffing; a bear called Liberty, who lost an eye when attacked by a puppy; and a dog called Wilb, who came looking for some attention and a new bow))

1 January 2023

Back in summer, I received an email from a fellow BBC Radio Berkshire listener. She had been so excited when she had heard Sarah Walker's programme about my Hospital that she sent Sarah a picture of her old teddy. Known as Old Ted, he had been with her for 53 years, and was in need of some TLC.

A few months later, Old Ted arrived in hospital in his own very comfortable bed. He was an excellent patient, and yesterday he completed his course of treatment and was ready to go back home.

"Oh goodness, when I saw Ted I became really emotional! I haven't seen him sit up properly since I was little! He looks amazing! Thank you so much," the owner wrote when I sent her a photo of Old Ted after his surgery.