A north-east family’s generous donation is helping a local charity spread its message to every child in the country.
It’s hoped, by Christmas, each library in the UK will have a copy of A Friend Just Like Me.
The book was written for Ballater organisation A Bear Named Buttony, set up to break the “poo taboo” around stomas, bowel and bladder conditions.
Stomas are an opening in the abdomen made to bypass parts of the bowel or colon, with waste emptying into a little pouch instead.
And the charity has received a massive boost from the fundraising family of Stuart Lawtie, who died of bowel cancer aged 27 in 2011.
‘We’re proud to be involved’
After a decade raising cash and awareness, and hosting conferences about uncommon cancers in young people, the fund in the Aberdonian’s name is being wound up.
It has made a “generous” contribution to A Bear Named Buttony.
So far the charity has donated a copy of its book to every Scottish library, and has made it as far as West Yorkshire.
The £10,000 donation will allow it to reach its goal of every UK facility by Christmas.
Dad Andrew explained: “Stuart was a smashing young man and we wanted to do something in his name after he passed away.
“Although he wasn’t a big reader, he would have been really happy about this.
“What the charity does is fantastic – bringing the idea of stomas and how youngsters can cope into the modern world.
“To have the book in every library in the country is amazing, and we’re so proud to have had a little involvement in it.”
‘Stomas aren’t rare – we just don’t talk about them’
A Bear Named Buttony gives every child it supports a copy of the book and their very own teddy, who also has a stoma.
Around 5,000 copies have been donated to libraries, affected families and community groups.
Founder Jenny Gow says the feedback so far has been extremely positive.
“If you teach children right at the beginning that this is normal, they won’t make a thing of it.
“It’s the adults who do that.
“So if we start educating kids, in 10 or 15 years it won’t be the taboo it is now.
“That can change just by opening up this conversation.”
Jenny founded the organisation to teach youngsters about stomas following the experiences of her daughter Eilidh.
She was awarded an MBE in recognition of her work in 2019.
And she added: “In Scotland, around 1 in 277 people have a stoma.
“It’s really not rare at all – we’re just not talking about it.
“Kids just adapt and get on with it, there are no more questions.
“But it’s adults who have these preconceived ideas and stigmas. And if we can change that at the bottom, it would be brilliant.”
Read more:
Everything you need to know about a stoma
Living with a stoma – your questions answered
‘There was no cure for this, it hit me really, really hard’: My Health Story
Conversation