I can’t tell you how delightful it was to share ‘Gary the Gallbladder’ with my dad

Excited to hang my awesome puberty poster in my new office

Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Stone says, "Excited to hang my awesome puberty poster from I Heart Guts in my new office!" 

Oesophagus pin for son born with tracheo-oesophageal fistula

Taking care package with kidney slippers to the nephrologist

He had Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) and it's still affecting his kidneys. On a steroid now to hopefully get inflammation down, but may need something stronger. My high school bestie sent a care package that included KIDNEY SLIPPERS!!! You know we're taking to the nephrologist next week! 

I Heart Guts has a whole lineup of these adorable (and weird) organ plushies! They also have shirts, and obviously, slippers.

Kneeded this shirt to help with knee surgery recovery This shirt goes with me for every ortho visit and every PT appointment. The doctors, nurses and staff all love it. I swear it is my good luck knee shirt. The color goes great with my scar!

Wanna meet in the fallopian tubes? Wanna meet in the fallopian tubes and connect? I can give you extra womb cervix.

Took my uterus shirt to the Supreme Court Love wearing this uterus shirt, hate why I'm wearing it. Glad all the proceeds go to Center for Reproductive Rights so we can help fight the good fight.

Plushies empowering sex therapy

AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, Doctor of Psychology, and self-proclaimed geeky goth @dr.jordansoper strips down the secrets of sex online, owns and operates The Center For Sexual Health and Wellness, and provides therapy to help people dissect issues around anxiety, PTSD, and sex, of course. 

Everyone Fits Inside Her Island of Misfit Toys

Dr. Jordan Soper does seminal work! As a proud cosplayer and I Heart Guts Plushies fan, she’s a breath of fresh air for anyone who doesn’t fit into the rectular crowd or sees the butt of society’s hardships on a daily basis. 

She specializes in helping the LGBTQ+ community, current and former sex workers, military service members and veterans, first responders and law enforcement, young geeks and professionals, and more.  

From Dr. Soper’s Perspective, What Is Sex Therapy?

Jordan’s take on sex therapy is super flexy! She opens up her practice to anything from performance, desire, and satisfaction to sex addiction, sexual trauma, painful syndromes, repro issues, and gender and sexual identity concerns. Our world needs some serious sex ed, and she’s here to offer clit!

Plushies made appendectomy & tonsillectomy surgery more tolerable

The absolute talk of the surgery center

"My daughter lost her appendix almost 2 years ago and felt she needed a replacement since she also received a tonsil 3 weeks ago for losing her tonsils. These plush are so cute."

Accepted into nursing school! My 🫀 is so happy to announce that I have been accepted into nursing school for the fall of 2023!! 🥳🩺🤓 #futurenurse

Pelvic exam volunteer makes pelvic exams less scary

Sex ed is a community cervix

Animal and flower-loving @aliciagauvin raises money and works with SHIP, a nonprofit that provides adults with pleasure-oriented sexual education, therapy, and training. She lets students practice their pelvic examination skills on her. Yup, you heard that right!

SHIP is one of only two organizations providing GTA training to medical and nursing students in New England. Since March 2020, SHIP has taught 250+ Nurse Practitioner students how to perform patient-centered and trauma-informed pelvic exams.

What’s Pelvic Exam Got To Do With It?

“I work with local medical and nursing schools as a Gynecological Teaching Associate (GTA). In other words, I use my body to teach medical and nursing students how to perform patient-centered and trauma-informed pelvic exams,” says Alicia.

Pelvic exams are an important part of gynecological health. They are commonly performed during pregnancy and routine physical exams to help pinpoint cervical changes and possible signs of STIs, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and early-stage cancers.

Improving Pelvic Exams With A Selfless Cervix Contribution  

Alicia allows medical and nursing students to practice on her so they can slide into the field with a patient-centered and trauma-informed approach. Yes, uncomfortable mishaps happen all the time, but Alicia makes womb for mistakes so they can be avoided on patients.

“For most of my students, I am the first conscious and consenting human on whom they have ever done a pelvic exam,” says Alicia.

We hope you and the rest of the Gynecological Teaching Associates enjoy the cervix lapel pins we sent your way, and thank you for volunteering your bodies in the name of science!

Bought this for my teen son before he was having knee surgery

Miraculous to be there for my sister Words cannot describe how beautiful and miraculous the past two days have been, so thankful to have had the privilege to be there as a hype girl for my bff/sister/supermom👸 women are amazing. so lucky to be blessed with another bestie🥹🌈🫶💗

Pancreas Barbie brings joy to T1D

Multi-passionate creative @taylorelizabethlane produces a ton of cool stuff— just not enough insulin or dopamine. As an I Heart Guts customer, we hope her Pancreas Plushie makes type 1 diabetes and ADHD easier to digest!

Her Motto? Laugh Through the Pancreas 

Taylor is funny, forward, full of ideas, AND a samaritan. Through her content and creations, including fundraisers, stickers, blogs, digital art, and super fun Insta videos, she helps people find support, deal with pain, and feel strong in the face of adversity. 

Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes Can Be Hard To Stomach!

When your pancreas decides to decrease its insulin workload or stop producing it altogether, AKA type 1 diabetes it can cause excessive hunger, thirst, urination, and tiredness coupled with unexplained weight loss, mood swings, and blurry vision. This chronic condition usually appears in childhood, too, so managing it can be a lifelong pain in the pancreas.

We’re not going to sugar-coat it. Health issues can be hard to stomach. Thank hormones sweet Gutsy customers like Taylor Elizabeth Lane exist!

Stuffed lymph nodes make any gloomy day better Stuffed lymph nodes make any gloomy day better

Womb Warrior Heals And Empowers Women With Uterus Plushie

Naledi, aka Lady Yoni is all about embracing your yoni goddess energy. With the help of her trusted uterus plushie, she guides women on a journey towards healthier living and healing, sprinkling laughter along the way. 

She’s a fierce advocate for women's health, dishing on the embodiment of pleasure and offering the ultimate tips and tricks for a healthy, sizzling lifestyle. 

Her own quest for womb health began when I battled depression, IBS, and an ovarian cyst. Endless diets, meditation, and yoga led her to explore the depths of womb healing. Through her womb healing journey, she released womb trauma and removed energetic blockages for a happier, healthier life — and is now sharing that knowledge with her community.  

Lady Yoni supports women on their journey of self-discovery as they embrace their #yonigoddessgang power, heal from emotional and sexual trauma, and unleash the full potential of their pleasure-filled lives.

With ten years of expertise in herbology, Hatha & Kundalini yoga, meditation, and all things alternative healing, Lady Yoni takes you on a wild ride of empowerment, self-discovery, and yoni magic.

A fearless guardian of fabulousness, she taps into the secrets of the divine feminine, transforms wounds into wisdom, and unleashes a tsunami of self-love and empowerment, all with her fav uterus plush sidekick in tow!

Ehlers Danlos will never win over me Today, just getting out of gallbladder surgery. A yr ago today, just getting home from my colon and ostomy removal in dc. 2 yrs ago today just getting out of my first hip surgery. But guess what, i am still and will continue to stand up and fight for the life i not only want but deserve. Ehlers Danlos will never win.

My rare disease is called pheochromocytoma, a type of adrenal gland tumour

My rare disease is called pheochromocytoma, a type of adrenal gland tumour that secretes dangerous amounts of hormones like adrenaline.🦓 Somehow I became the one in a million. That’s a 0.0001% chance of being diagnosed with a pheo. An even smaller percentage of that are people my age. and an EVEN SMALLER percentage of that are people with no known genetic mutation, like me. My main original symptom was extremely high blood pressure. The chances of that being caused by a pheo was less than 0.2%. To make that EVEN MORE rare, I’m also one of the very few people who don’t feel better after surgery.

The perfect gift for my kidney donor

Nice quality good size and the perfect gift for my kidney donor!

My son was born with multiple congenital heart defects My son was born with multiple congenital heart defects, I bought this for him to hug in the hospital after his surgeries, and Cath procedures. Everyone loves it, especially the doctors, nurses, and staff 😂❤️

When you get told it’s gonna be “impossible” for you to get pregnant This is really personal, but we figured I’ve shared everything else so far and this information may well help someone so it’s worth the TMI. I took a test in October 2019 called an AMH test, and it measures your potential egg reserve. A typical woman my age has a count of around 37. Mine was 4.7. There’s no way of knowing if it’s always been this low, or whether I’m dropping dramatically & on a downward trajectory. Either way, it’s shit. Tris also took a test where he had to “produce a sample” (ooo la la) and his results were hardly positive either. Long story short, the shape of his “swimmers” are let’s say... unconventional. We are young, and being honest I wasn’t thinking about future babas, but regardless of this when you get told it’s guna be “impossible” for you to get pregnant naturally it’s kinda heartbreaking.  **UPDATE: after endometriosis, infertility struggles, IVF and miscarriage, Miranda and Tris HAD A BABY GIRL!** Congrats!

A little nervous to get ear tubes in When you’re a little nervous to get ear tubes in so your (super cool 💁‍♀️) aunt sends you an inner ear lovey for good measure.

The only pancreas I have now This is my pancreas! It’s actually my only pancreas because I had to have my entire pancreas surgically removed. I have something called chronic pancreatitis (CP,) which is persistent inflammation of the pancreas. It’s a disease characterized by irreversible damage to the pancreas, distinct from the reversible changes to the pancreas found during acute pancreatitis.

Cramming for dental exams with plushie tooth Toof and i are 25% dentists! time sure does fly by when you’re having fun, or cramming for exams at the library...

Tell me your mom is a spine nurse practitioner

Tell me your mom is a spine nurse practitioner without telling me your mom is spine nurse practitioner.

 

Crohn's flare turned into loss of my entire colon Run of the mill Crohn’s flare turned into the worst flare of my life complete with: an ER trip, multiple abscesses, several rounds of antibiotics, the lowest weight I’ve been since junior high, getting that thigh gap I wanted so badly in 2013 (🙄), and ultimately… the loss of my entire colon! Swipe to see Nice Colon, my new plushie colon friend which is way nicer to me than the one in my body was. - Cameron H.

A huge hit in the cardio dept. at the hospital "My mom had a heart procedure done and really needed a pillow for recovery. I could not resist this heart pillow; we have a great sense of humor. The doctor loved it too and asked where I got it. He thought they would be good to give heart patients after surgery especially children because of the size. The pillow is just the right size for my mom, it is super soft, and is small enough to drag around in her purse to all of her appointments. This was a huge hit in the cardio dept. at the hospital." - Raenell M.

Laughter helps with difficult times "My friend had to have a kidney removed and so I gave her a kidney pillow to hug in case she missed the one that was removed (yes, I’m that friend) and she loved it (even after she was off the dilaudid)! It’s soft, well made and the whole line of these products are hilarious! Laughter helps with difficult times (along with love, support and sarcasm) and even her urologist thought it was great!" - Melissa C.

The family cried from laughing so hard "My father-in-law just began treatment for bladder cancer. He lives in a different state so there isn't much support we can offer but wanted to show him that we were thinking of him. We had the adorable little stuffed bladder sent with a card that said 'Urine Our Thoughts'. It was a HUGE hit. The family cried from laughing so hard. My father-in-law now takes his bladder, named Bob, to the hospital for weekly treatments." - K. G.

Two eye doctors actually fought over the plushie "I got the eyeball plush as a secret gift swap for my work Christmas party. I work at an optometrist office. Two of the doctors were fighting over this. It is really cute and a good size." - Victoria

Gave this pancreas before pancreatitis surgery "I gave this pancreas pillow to my dad before his second surgery for pancreatitis. In addition to being a great comfort during the first couple days after his surgery, it was useful as an educational aid. Before the surgery, the doctor was able to explain which parts of the pancreas were to be removed by pointing out areas on the plush. This plush was such a hit, the hospital is considering an order of more pancreas plushes for its patients!" - Lauren C.

Placenta plush is a hit in our pathology call room "I am a pathology resident, and this placenta plush is a hit in our call room! Even the attendings thought it was really funny and cute. It's super soft and well made to boot. A great gift for medical/obgyn geeks, though I can't vouch for it as an appropriate baby shower gag gift." - Lora B.

No Stomach, But Sense of Humor Still Intact “I purchased two of your plush stomachs to give to my 27 and 29 year old ‘kids’ this Christmas, and I can’t thank you enough for the delight your product brought to all three of us! My kids had their real stomachs surgically removed, every single cell, in 2009 and 2012, to cure them of the hereditary cancer which took their father in early 2009. You helped bring joy back to our family, and I am truly grateful.” Cindy C.

Some people have plush bears, but I have a plush spleen “I am 10 years old. Your products are amazing in 7 hundred billion ways! First of all, I love studying the human body organs and such. I might want to be a doctor when I grow up. Some of my friends say organs are gross, but I just ignore them, they don’t know the true awesomeness of organs. Your cartoony guts with cute little faces make learning the organs so much fun! I have a couple of your plush organs. I’m trying to collect them all like they are Pokemon cards or something…weird. I know some people have plush dogs or bears, but I have A PLUSH SPLEEN!!!!” Michael

Your brain pin helped someone having a hard time “I’m a psychiatric nurse and wanted to tell you that your little brain button came in handy yesterday. I now wear the pin on my badge and was able to successfully de-escalate a very angry and potentially aggressive patient by simply showing her the pin that said “All You Need is Lobe.” Her face immediately changed from a look of wanting to kill me to a huge toothy smile. I just thought that you should know that your art yesterday really helped someone who is having a hard time. I think that is so important and you should be proud.” -J.

Popped her stitches laughing when she got it "Got this stuffed uterus as a gift for a friend who had a hysterectomy. She absolutely loved it. Even carries at around the whole time she was on 'bed rest'. Be careful though, she almost popped her stitches laughing when she opened it!" - Z.

During his ordeal, the eyeball became his mascot “My son had a brain tumor removed yesterday which had left him basically blind. My daughter bought him the eyeball and we just gave it to him this morning. He just loves it and we are praying for the recovery of his vision. In the meantime he is squeezing his party pupil and it is keeping him company in his hospital bed. Thank you so much for your wonderful creations. We had a great time studying them at the hospital gift shop yesterday.” UPDATE: “I wanted to let you know that we are doing much better. My son has regained his vision and is able to drive again. He will have a follow up MRI in a couple weeks to see about the last 5% of the tumor remaining -- they may do radiation therapy. If all is well he will start looking for a new job. Throughout my son’s ordeal, the eyeball became his mascot -- he’s 26 and still loves plush toys! It’s on our family room couch and still makes me smile.  It became a great rallying point for us all.”  – Sue T.

You get my weird, sarcastic humor Damn, do I have fun with you people. You get my weird, sarcastic humor, appreciate my many duh moments but never make me feel stupid, laugh when I open my sterile gloves right into the garbage, hug my emotional crying ass, grin and bear my collections of coffee and when I shove people out of the way to get to the candy drawer. I love my sweet, nonjudgmental angels. My beautiful coworkers have created an environment that I genuinely love to be in, and I am forever grateful to you for it. Thank you for keeping me motivated, giving me a safe space to learn, make mistakes, to grow, and gain confidence. Thank you for always making me feel loved and showing me that coworkers can in fact be your close friends. ASC will always feel like home. Thank you endlessly.

Wonderful to get back the parts of us we're missing "I purchased a thyroid plush for a coworker who has been down lately. She hasn't had a thyroid in years, but she's been struggling with depression and I thought maybe it would be nice for her to have one again. I left him on her desk this morning before she came in. When she arrived and saw him, she cried. I can think of no better compliment to your company. It seems like such a small gesture, but so many of us are missing pieces and the chance to get it back in any way is wonderful. Thank you for your products... You made not only my day, but my friend's too."  - Angela L.

We got one spine for my son and one for the surgeon

Spine surgery plush was a hit with my son and we got one for the surgeon, too!

Gifting a kidney to my nephrologist, and I have the brain... “I love your guts! I have given the stomach to my GI doc, the pancreas to my primary doc, the kidney will be going to my nephrologist, and I have the brain, first, because I'm a psych grad, and, second, because I survived a major traumatic brain injury!  I'm here to order the lungs for my pulmonologist, too! The docs really love these! And so do I!” — Stephanie G.

I showed off my colon pillow to all of the staff and they loved it "I have been living with Crohn's Disease for 12 years now. Just last month I had my second surgery to remove more of my intestines. My best friend came to the hospital with a new set of intestines for me. Not only was it incredibly hilarious but it was also helpful too. The intestine pillow works amazing as a post operative cough pillow to hold tight to your abdomen. During my month long stay in the hospital I showed off my pillow to all of the staff and they loved it." - Krystal B.

I brought her the uterus in a biohazard bag "I got this uterus plush for my mom as a 'get well' present while she was in the hospital after her hysterectomy. I work in the OR so I brought it up in a biohazard bag and told her I found something in the lab that might belong to her. She and her nurses loved it! Thank you for helping me brighten her spirits!" - Amber

Kidney plush broke the ice with the nurses who all adored it “My lovely friends in Australia somehow found your plush kidney and surprised me with it as a good luck charm — I was about to leave Australia to fly to England to become a living kidney donor to my mum. The plush kidney was supposed to make me feel less bereft at my loss of a real kidney but my mum likes it so much I think she wants to keep the plush one too! Obviously it has gone with us to all our compatability tests and it came to hospital for the transplant operation. I think it really broke the ice with the nurses who all adored it. I’m sure folks who have plush organs at their hospital bed get better treatment from nurses because they could instantly see that we are patients who don’t take ourselves too seriously! When I’m recovered I will be taking the kidney with me to the organ donation stalls I volunteer on, as a cute reminder to people to register as organ donors.” Scott C.

Who wouldn't enjoy cuddling up to skin this lovely? "I received the skin plush as a gift after being treated for melanoma. It is perfect! Not only is it adorable, and a funny way to comfort someone dealing with cancer, but as a healthcare professional I absolutely love it. Hair shaft, sebaceous glands, Merkel's - it's all there. The quality of the plush is fantastic, and who wouldn't enjoy cuddling up to skin this lovely?" - Ari B.

When asked what she wanted for Christmas, she said, "a liver." "My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer almost two years ago and it spread to her liver. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she answered, "a liver." Though I know she meant it jokingly, I decided I would get her exactly that. The liver plush is really cute, soft, and definitely brings a smile to my mom's face. She even took it with her on a doctor's appointment and got a laugh out of her oncologist. I would definitely recommend this product to others going through a similar situation, for laughter is the best medicine. Oh, and we ended up naming him 'Larry The Liver' :p" - Victoria M.

Love my replacement Uterus! "Love my replacement Uterus! I got a ton of comments during my hospital stay. This is a great gift for someone you know having surgery! Not only is it a great gift but it is functional also. This plush was exactly what I needed for my ride home to put between my incision and my seat belt!" - M. P.

My grandpa sleeps with it now and it's adorable "Gave this heart plush to my grandfather who’s in heart failure and told him this was a new heart and that he will be ok. He sleeps with it now and it's adorable." - Katherine B.

Tees to keep us warm at Women's March

Shared my apple juice juice box with my plushie uterus It all started with passing out I Heart Guts uterus stickers to the medical staff. They all loved them! Post procedure, I shared my apple juice juice box with my plushie uterus.