Brighten Your Day

Neurosurgeon Operates On Little Boy's Teddy Bear

October 4, 2018

Dr. P. Daniel McNeely is a neurosurgeon in Halifax. And he just stitched up this teddy bear for an 8-year-old boy who was about to go into surgery.

Credit: P. Daniel McNeely

"Patient asks if I can also fix teddy bear just before being put off to sleep... how could I say no?" McNeely captioned his photos on Twitter.

Dr. McNeely was about to perform brain surgery on Jackson McKie, who has a cyst on his brain and a chronic condition called hydrocephalus.

Before he was put under, Jackson told the doctor that his bear was ripped and asked if he could stitch him up.

Dr. McNeely kindly asked the nurses to prepare a small table with some tools, and he used the leftover stitches from Jackson's procedure to patch up the bear.

Credit: P. Daniel McNeely

Jackson's father, Rick, told the Canadian Press the teddy bear is always by his son's side, especially when he's in pain, and he is very thankful for McNeely's care as a physician during the family's many visits to IWK Health Centre.

"He's one of the nicest human beings I've ever met," Rick said of Dr. McNeely.

Rick added that Jackson was so excited when he woke up after the surgery to find that his teddy bear had been stitched up.