Birmingham Children's Hospital unveils new mascot to help patients fell less self-conscious
Birmingham Children’s Hospital has got a new resident - a friendly raccoon mascot to make feel Tracheostomy patients less self-concious.
Patients who attend the hospital’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Speech and Language Department will be presented Raki the Raccoon soft toy who also has a tracheostomy on its neck.
The new mascot is the brainchild of Aisha Hamzah, an ENT clinical nurse specialist at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Jo Matthews, a senior speech and language therapist.
Aisha said: "Working day-to-day with tracheostomy patients, we noticed there was a need for more family-friendly information to be made available for new patient families, to help them understand the journey they are about to embark on. This is where the idea of Raki The Raccoon – a mascot – was born. We realised that Raki could be something our young patients could relate to, as it looked like them, and it could also be used as a tool by us and their parents, to explain their treatment."
The mascot has been designed by Nick Hardman, who owns toy-making business, 3D Toy Shop, based in Leeds.
Nick said: "It’s been an absolute joy to work on this project and bring it to fruition, from initial concept through to it receiving its safety certification. There’s a real shortage of accessible toys for kids who have a medical condition, despite there being such a demand by families. It’s especially great to see a leading paediatric centre like Birmingham Children’s Hospital introduce them, all thanks to the passion of Aisha and Jo who are the driving force behind Raki."
Raki The Raccoon is charitably-funded, with Aisha and Jo drumming up support from patient families, their hospital colleagues and even their own family and friends to help fund the mascot and a new family-friendly information booklet, which will accompany Raki.
One of the first patients to receive Raki is 16-month-old Cooper Dean, who needed a tracheostomy fitted for a condition called Pierre Robin Sequence, a rare congenital birth defect characterised by an undeveloped jaw and difficult airwaves.
Cooper’s mum, Claire Dean, said: ’When we were told about what Aisha and Jo were planning, we were blown away. It’s such a wonderful idea and it will make such a difference to so many families, who are navigating this tough journey. The mascot will help us all to better understand his condition, including his siblings.
"Cooper absolutely loves his Raki The Raccoon – his eyes lit up as soon as he saw it. This really is going above and beyond for your patients and we’re so thankful."
