Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a San Diego nonprofit is preparing to bring more than 1,000 weighted therapeutic teddy bears to New York City to provide comfort to surviving 9/11 families.
The Comfort Cub joined hundreds of first responders, families and community members at the San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb fundraiser, created annually by San Diego’s Fire Fighter Aid, where participants climbed 110 flights of stairs to honor the firefighters and first responders who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. All the funds raised go to Fire Fighter Aid.
Some participants made the climb carrying a Comfort Cub with them.
Founder Marcella Johnson explained the mission behind the nonprofit and why the weighted therapeutic cub can be especially meaningful for people experiencing grief, trauma and loss.
“The Comfort Cub uses deep-touch pressure through its strategically distributed weight to create the sensation of a comforting hug,” said Johnson. “While the nonprofit was originally founded to support those grieving the loss of a child, its mission has expanded over the years to help people coping with many different forms of loss and trauma.”
Now, Johnson and The Comfort Cub team are taking that mission across the country.
The nonprofit is traveling to New York City with more than 1,000 Comfort Cubs that will be personally distributed to surviving 9/11 families attending events surrounding the 25th anniversary commemoration.
The milestone donation carries a simple message at the heart of The Comfort Cub’s work: grief has no expiration date.
Whether a loss happened days ago or decades ago, Johnson says the need for comfort and connection can remain — and sometimes something as simple as the feeling of a weighted hug can make a difference.
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