Bay Area girl with unique health journey starts ‘Medical Minis’ to help other children
Emotional support through stuffed animals
FOX 13's Kylie Jones shares the inspiring journey of one New Port Richey girl as she is now helping other children after spending several years in and out of hospitals.
TAMPA, Fla. - After spending years in and out of hospitals, one girl in Tampa Bay uses her health journey to help other children.
Aubrey Harris, 15, started Medical Minis, a non-profit, after being diagnosed with a rare condition several years ago.
"When I was born, I was basically completely healthy," Harris said. "I was a competitive gymnast for over eight years."
The backstory:
When Harris was around 10 years old, she started developing severe stomach issues.
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"I was diagnosed with a rare condition called gastroparesis, which is basically where your stomach is paralyzed," Harris said. "And so, it wasn't digesting my food properly."
Harris spent the next several years in and out of hospitals, relying on a feeding tube for three years.
"Everywhere I'd go, everyone I looked at, I was the person that was different, and I was a person that didn't look the same," Harris said. "And (I) wasn't treated the same."
While Harris was in the hospital, often hooked up to monitors and other devices, there wasn't much to bring her comfort.
Harris, however, had one of her stuffed animals, which she kept close to her when she was having procedures done.
What they're saying:
When Harris was getting her feeding tube put in, she and her child life specialist had an idea.
"She brought me a tube, so I could see it, and I was like, 'Can I put it in the unicorn?' And so together, we basically just stabbed a hole in its nose, and slowly threaded it in and then taped it," Harris said.
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Harris was finally able to see something that looked like her.
"It almost helped me teach other people about what it was, too, because I was able to show them, like, ‘Hey, this is what it is, like just like mine. This is what it does,'" Harris said.
Harris wanted to find a way to bring other kids the same piece of comfort that she clung to in the hospital.
"We were like, ‘hey, I want to make these for other kids, like, you see how much it has meant to me to have one. I'm sure there are like hundreds of other kids out there,'" Harris said.
Big picture view:
Harris started making "Medical Minis" for children around the country.
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The stuffed animals are each different and are designed to reflect each child's medical condition.
"All of them are different because they all have the exact devices of the kid that they're going to," Harris said.
Each child fills out a form with information about their medical condition.
Last summer, Harris was the first child at a hospital in Orlando to get a gastric electrical stimulator device to help her stomach function properly.
Harris’s new stuffed animal has a scar that mirrors her scar from surgery to implant the device.
"It's something that's keeping you alive," Harris said. "It's not something that anybody should be ashamed of."
What's next:
By sharing her own story through Medical Minis, Harris hopes to show other children that they're not alone.
"If I would have had it like, before I had any of this stuff going on, it really would have helped me," Harris said.
Each "Medical Mini" is free for families.
You can find more information about the non-profit here.
The Source: FOX 13’s Kylie Jones collected the information in this story.
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