South Bend Airport spreads cheer with 'Bears in the Air'

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The South Bend International Airport is spreading much needed cheer among pediatric patients at local hospitals, with teddy bears for the patients.

Over 2,600 brand new teddy bears will be delivered to five local area hospitals during the days leading up to Christmas eve.

The bears are being delivered to Beacon Children's Hospital, Saint Joseph Mishawaka and Plymouth Medical Centers, Elkhart General, and Corewell Health Lakeland to help reduce patients' anxiety and give them some comfort.

Kelly Hunter, a Charge Nurse for Surgical Admission, stated, "I had a child a couple of weeks ago coming in for a tonsillectomy and she had said to me, I'm really nervous about today. I'm very scared. But my friend had surgery here and she said don't worry. They're gonna give you a teddy bear and you'll know that you're safe. We had no teddy bears to give. We came up with one, she went to surgery with the teddy bear. And I said I promise that you know as long as I'm here, we will make sure that all of our kids get a teddy bear."

Those bears become the patients' friend to get them through this holiday season as they spend it in the hospital.