Bears of the heart

The first social campaign in which health-care workers dressed up as Santa Claus at the Christmas Eve organised at the Hotel Stary in Krakow and collected teddy bears for the youngest patients of cardiology and cardiac surgery wards at the University Children’s Hospital in Krakow and throughout Poland. Bears of the heart symbolise victory over disease, and are also a friend and companion for sick children.

The campaign was aimed to give joy to the youngest during the Christmas holidays, who were feeling lonely because of their illness. It also showed that the role of doctors is not limited to the treatment rooms or even the hospital, but extends far beyond them. Their empathy, understanding, and the fact that they make sure the youngest are not forgotten are all very important.

The campaign was organised by the Child’s Heart Foundation in collaboration with leading professors of Krakow: Janusz Skalski - a children’s heart surgeon, director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery USD in Krakow and Dariusz Dudek - cardiologist, Head of the II Clinical Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Interventions of the Jagiellonian University Medical College. The initiative has a chance to become a nationwide campaign.