Interview with Ella Casano
Medi Teddy
Ella Casano - Founder at 10 years old
Connecticut, USA
Ella Casano is the inventor and founder of Medi Teddy, a non-profit providing an innovative solution for making hospital procedures a more bearable experience (no pun intended!). No stranger to hospital visits, Ella was diagnosed with ITP aged 7. Knowing the difficulties in managing illness whilst remaining positive, Ella’s invention, Medi Teddy, conceals the IV bag needed for infusions and other medications, giving kids and adults alike something to smile about! Managing Medi Teddy with her mum, Ella has inspired other young entrepreneurs to think outside the box and to start up their own charitable initiatives.
Blown away by the charitable nature of this young entrepreneur, we asked Ella some questions about Medi Teddy and her goals going forward:
1) How would you best describe Medi Teddy?
Medi Teddy is a stuffed animal sleeve concealing a bag of IV fluid or medicine. It was designed to bring comfort to paediatric patients by hiding the bag of medicine, whilst remaining of convenient use to doctors and nurses. The front of Medi Teddy is a brown teddy bear with a smile, black eyes and a white belly. He is connected to the IV drip by a hole at the top of Medi Teddy’s head.
“Kebloom would have encouraged me to keep going with this idea and been a resource for my mom and me to turn to.”
2) How old were you when you founded your company?
When I first came up with the idea for Medi Teddy, I was 10. I worked on my idea for two years and everything really came together when we received our manufacturer and 501(c)3 non-profit status and secured our final prototype when I was 12. Our first shipment of Medi Teddys was received a year later.
3) What problem were you solving in the creation of Medi Teddy?
When I had my very first IV when I was 7, I noticed that the IV bag was extremely intimidating. I spoke to many paediatric patients who felt uncomfortable and uneasy seeing their IV bag. When I realized there was no existing solution to making one’s hospital experience more tolerable, I began to look for a way to change that.
“If you have an idea, stick with it.”
4) Who supported you with your business?
My entire family is extremely supportive, especially my mom, who is also the current president of Medi Teddy. She handles the day-to-day operations and will continue to until I'm old enough to take over. We’ve also received lots of advice and very generous donations from other non-profits. They help us be able to keep giving away Medi Teddys.
5) What advice would you give to aspiring young entrepreneurs?
If you have an idea, stick with it. I would have never gotten this far with Medi Teddy or been able to impact so many people had I not continued working on my idea. Continuing on my idea involved writing up a business plan, making a marketing video and asking for tonnes of advice from my parents and others.
My advice to hospital patients - we’re all in this together. You are not alone. I have learned through this project that we are so supported, by kids and adults alike.
6) To what extent would a platform like Kebloom have helped you achieve your dreams?
Kebloom would have encouraged me to keep going with this idea and been a resource for my mom and me to turn to when we weren't sure what we should do next. I was lucky I had my mom, elementary school principal and my gifted teacher to encourage me to keep going with Medi Teddy. If I hadn’t had them, I wouldn’t have continued. For children who don’t have that in their lives, Kebloom could be just the thing to give them that push to turn their dreams into reality.
7) What has been the best part about running your own business?
The best part about running my own business has definitely been the feedback. We’ve received countless emails from parents, relatives and friends who have had IV treatments or know someone who has. They say that Medi Teddy is just the thing needed to brighten someone’s hospital experience, which is our overall goal. We’ve received pictures of children with their Medi Teddys and they all have the biggest smiles on their faces. We’ve also been connected to other people with chronic illnesses, some of whom have said that they have had ITP for years before it suddenly went away. That gives me hope that that will happen for me as well.
8) What has been the most challenging part?
My lack of knowledge on how to run a business had been the most challenging part of all of this. Thankfully, we’ve had help from other non-profits who have really kept us going.
9) What skills do you feel you have developed since becoming a Founder?
I feel that I have developed problem solving and leadership skills. There have been many problems that have come up. For instance, we ran out of instruction cards on a day we were packaging all the Medi Teddys. We also had to change the business plan due to high demand.
We have had to look for solutions to all of these problems, but the most important thing we’ve done is keep on going. We have not stopped, and we don’t plan to until every child who wants a Medi Teddy is able to have one.
I need to have a positive attitude because I’m setting an example for other kids who have ideas and want to turn them into something bigger. A few kids in my school have even come up to me and asked me for advice because they’re starting non-profits of their own.
…and anything else you’d like to add!
Please find us on:
Instagram: @medi_teddy
Facebook: Medi Teddy.
For information on how to make a donation and help us give Medi Teddys away for FREE, please go to www.medi-teddy.org.
For information on how to gift or purchase Medi Teddys for a specific child or hospital, please go to www.medi-teddy.com.
About the Author:
Ellie McRae is the blogger, interviewer and content creator for Kebloom! When she’s not writing kick-ass articles, you’ll find her studying marketing and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Find out more about Ellie here.
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