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Teddy Bears For Open Heart Surgery Patients?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: July 16, 2025

I was just surfing the Internet when I came across a furry teddy bear designed for... Yes, you guessed it.... Recovering open heart surgery patients.

After rubbing my eyes (and shaking my head a bit), I then noticed the teddy bear had a little zipper on his chest that opened to reveal a stitched heart.

On one hand, I thought, "Really? That can't be real." Then, when I saw there was an opportunity to purchase the bear, I realized the bear was definitely real. It turns out that the Mended Heart Bear (shown above) is part of a stuffed animal line of get-well bears from Bummer Bears. The price for the Mended Heart Bear is $54.

Bummer Bears makes teddy bears for patients recovering from autism, infections, cancer and heart surgery. The company is owned and operated by Katie Espinoza, the mother of a congenital heart disease patient who was diagnosed in utero at a 20-week ultrasound appointment. Click here to learn more.

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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