In Mérida, Nelia makes bears with clothes of the deceased COVID to never forget them

By Gustavo Guardian

“It is probably the only memory of the person who is no longer present”, reveals Nelia

For Nelia Braga Méndez, it all began in 2017 when one of her close friends lost her baby and then asked her for the peculiar favor of making a teddy bear with the clothes that the infant had used. With the passing of the months, her popularity grew by word of mouth and other mothers, who had lost her children, contacted her so that she could make them a teddy bear with the clothes that were left.

“Well, obviously it causes you a feeling to know that it belongs to a person who is no longer there and behind this garment there is a story…”, says the interviewee.

It should be mentioned that these bears are not exactly for babies who have died, but also receive requests from mothers who want to preserve their children's first clothes in a particular way, turning them into these pieces.

Nelia points out that those who do this type of work must have a lot of emotional strength, because "perhaps they are working with the only memory they will have of that person."

Teddy bears to remember relatives who died from COVID-19

“As a result of the pandemic, they began to locate me to make bears for people who, unfortunately, left because of COVID,” she says.

He began working with garments from people who died from the coronavirus in July 2020. So far, he has made between 60 and 70 teddy bears solely from people who have lost the battle against this disease.

“And obviously there is no longer one bear per family, but rather 5 or 6, because (…) these people have no way of going to say goodbye to their family member and close that chapter in life.”

The interviewee points out that she had not wanted to make this project public since there are people who do not agree with the idea of ​​clinging to the memory of deceased loved ones, however, she was encouraged to publish her work thanks to the fact that a colleague from another The entity did the same on its social networks.

Get a great response

The reaction of those who had acquired their "memory bears" in Mérida was positive for Nelia, since on her personal Facebook page she received comments of gratitude because with her work she helped to cope with the grief of those who had lost close family members or friends due to COVID -19.

“They began to comment that they recommended us a lot because it was a way in which we were able to support them,” Nelia remarks.

“I want to ask you for a special favor”: the story that marked Nelia during this pandemic

A friend of the interviewee, for whom she had previously made different pieces, contacted her saying:

"I want to ask you for a special favor, (...), notice that my brother-in-law, my husband's little brother, has just passed away and I need you to support me by making some bears for the whole family, because we didn't have a chance to say goodbye to he".

Nelia Braga highlights that this request was very impressive, because as an artisan she had made bears for unknown people, but now she was faced with making pieces with the clothes of a person whom she met and with whom she lived at different times in her life .

The request was not one, but two lots, because more relatives of the deceased also wanted to keep a memory of him through these bears. The artisan even comments that a "memory bear" from this delivery came into the hands of the person who was the partner of the deceased young man.

“I didn't even know he existed and when he posted such nice words on my Facebook where he told me that it had served him (the teddy bear) in an emotionally comforting way as a result of all this, the truth really touched me a lot. her story and it made a big impact on me (…) because I see how everyone in that family wants to have a memory of who was the light in that house…”, says Nelia.

A keepsake bear for your own child

Similarly, the artisan revealed that in 2019 her grandmother was seriously ill in the hospital and as a coincidence, her son, who is a baby, was also hospitalized due to a serious illness. Both had a strong emotional bond that, although it was not expressed in words, the affection they had for each other was evident to the family.

“My grandmother always asked me about him and wanted to see him, but they also isolated her.”

The preschool teacher, also, clarifies that her grandmother did not die of COVID-19, but that the doctor who attended her kept her isolated until the date of her death.

“(The baby) didn't have a chance to say goodbye to her with a little kiss,” says the interviewee.

After the unfortunate event, the little boy took two of his granny's pajamas and began to use them as sheets, but Nelia decided to turn one of them into a teddy bear so that her son would always have his "mom" present.

” For my son, that bear has enormous meaning; for him it is his company and every day, to sleep, he asks me for his sheet, his milk and his bear (...) he is aware that both the sheet, which is actually a robe, and his bear belonged to his grandmother”.

Elaboration process

First, contact is created with the client and, if the order is in Mérida, Nelia proceeds with her husband to collect the garment. At the time of obtaining it, it is properly sanitized and placed in a bag, to start a disinfection process that lasts between 24 and 36 hours.

After the first step, the garment is divided into parts and an interlining is placed on it to give the piece rigidity.

The next act is to place the garment on the molds and fill them and then sew each part. It should be noted that the filling material is hypoallergenic silk fiber.

And finally, details such as the eyes, the nose, and lately, says Nelia, they have been asked to put a message to remember the person who has left more closely. After that, the parts that remain open are finished sewing by hand.

For delivery, the bear is placed in a stuffed bag or box; a thank you note is placed for entrusting Nelia with such an important garment for the client and the washing recommendations so that the piece lasts.

After completing the process, the client is contacted again to agree on the delivery of the bear and along with it go the leftover scraps of fabric, because for Nelia each order is special and must be carried out respectfully for all the meaning that he carries with him

It should be noted that the preparation and delivery of the bears lasts approximately one week.

To conclude, Nelia revealed that right now she is making a doll that will have an integrated voice box. This is a new and unique request since an interactive piece like this has never been carried out in Mérida.

“We are going to make a doll with a dress belonging to the granny of the girl who died a few months ago from COVID, but the granny left a recorded message for her granddaughter before she passed away and they asked me to please include a voice box to put that message ", he commented to finish.

To contact Nelia

Personal Facebook: Nelia Braga Mendez

Mobile number: 9992320596