The Patchwork Bear was honored to be included in the documentary, "Teddy Bear for Michael", a film about Staten Island, NY military hero SSG Michael Ollis.
SSG Ollis sacrificed his life shielding an injured Polish lieutenant, Karol Cierpica, from a suicide bomber in an Afghanistan warzone on Aug. 28, 2013. This documentary by Polish filmmaker, Grzegorz Zasępa included an interview and footage from The Patchwork Bear studio
SSGT Michael Ollis (Photo credit: AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
Why include The Patchwork Bear?
In the documentary, a teddy bear was given to Lt. Cierpica's newborn son, Michael - made from SSG Michael Ollis' uniform. It was a gift from Ollis' parents to the little boy named in honor of their son.
Nine years later, The Patchwork Bear was asked by Lt Cierpica to create a bear out of little Michael's clothes to present to SSG Ollis' parents - a full-circle moment for the two families brought together by tragedy & sacrifice. 
(Jennifer Cura, founder of The Patchwork Bear)
Described by Jennifer Cura, founder of The Patchwork Bear, "A traditional teddy bear is a comfort item, but when we make it out of someone's clothes it becomes much more than a comfort item. It becomes a bridge to the past. The significance of the bear is the emotional connection of what the bear is made out of.
(Meghan Sullivan of The Patchwork Bear cutting patterns for Michael's memory bear)
"There's loss and grief when someone passes away. When they have the clothes of their loved one and give them to us - they share what was special about their person, We take those memories and put them into one memory bear that tells the story of their loved one."
We are grateful to be part of sharing in the memory of SSG Ollis and keeping his story alive.
Special thanks to Lt Karol Cierpica, his son Michael & wife Basha for visiting The Patchwork Bear studio and sharing their story.
Jennifer Cura with Karol, Michael and Basha Cierpica
Also a big thank you to director, Gregory Zasepa and his team for including The Patchwork Bear in the film. 
Teddy Bear for Michael is a Polish documentary and premiered in the US in March 2025 and was recently selected to screen at the Greenpoint Film Festival in August 2025.
