‘Love Monsters’ help children who are getting implants

CHAPEL HILL, NC (WWAY) –The Children’s Cochlear Implant Center at UNC is using “love monsters’ to help them during the process of getting an implant.

“It’s a love monster,” says Holly Teagle, the center’s co-director said of their new logo image that led to the creation of the dolls. “He’s an adorable little, happy love monster holding a balloon, and he’s on our front door,
our walls, and our clothing. The kids love him; they identify with him, and they start to smile when we tell them that it’s their very own monster buddy there to love, help, hold, and support them as they go through the implant process.”

Hannah Eskridge, Teagle’s colleague, says the kids love it, “Some call the love monster Coco, others Waylon. I think he has a few other names too. The little monster buddy holding his little balloon is the first thing kids and their parents encounter here, and he’s so lovable that it puts them at ease. It tells them they are why we are here-their health and care is what matters most. We want them to smile, to be happy, to have fun, not to be afraid, and to know they are never alone going through this.”

A group of volunteers from Wilmington  knit the monster buddy dolls to help the kids feel comfortable.

According to Teagle, “We give them to the children on their hearing birthday, the day their implant is activated and they hear sound for the first time. They choose the doll they want and we give them that doll and a ‘birth certificate’ with their name and the name of their monster buddy on it. It’s a great way to mark such a life-changing day.”

Claire Clemmons, of The Quarter Stitch in Wilmington, came up with idea for the dolls.

“We have about 30 or so volunteer knitters who create these little, one-of-a-kind monster buddies,” Clemmons said, “then when we have two or three dozen we ship them off to the folks at UNC.”