HONESDALE, PA — For some children (and adults), getting a blood test can be pretty scary.

Cuddly teddy bears can help, according to many child health experts. The Garing family, which owns local bus company Garing Enterprises LLC, delivered six teddy bears to the Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH) laboratory to help its youngest patients overcome being “nervous about needles.”

Walter Garing said the teddy bears were a project of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, of which he has been a member for more than four decades.  

Garing and many members of his family are familiar faces to area schoolchildren. “I’m in my 38th year of driving a school bus,” said Nancy Garing, “and Walter is in his 47th year!”  

Happy to donate the huggable stuffed animals, the entire Garing family showed up to hand them over to lab personnel. WMH staff was thrilled.  

Contributed by Wayne Memorial Hospital.