#MyScarIsMySuperpower

An empowering campaign encouraging scar positivity in the Heart Hero community and beyond, kickstarted by one very special tweet from a Hollywood superstar.

Ivan Hollingsworth, chair of the board of Chuf and Heart dad to Seb, aged 13, was at a loss for a way to help while Seb recovered from his second open heart surgery. That’s when Ivan tweeted asking the Marvel Universe for a message of support for the Heart Hero teen.

The next day he received a personal and heartfelt video from none other than Ryan Reynolds, star of Deadpool, followed by even more well wishes from Marvel superstars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo.

The support came at a pivotal time in Seb’s journey, as his bandage was removed, and he found himself struggling with his surgery scar.

Going through adolescence is hard enough but when you pair that with potentially having a scar from undergoing treatment, it can feel really difficult. Positive representation of surgery scars in the media can help those living with them walk a little taller, be a little bolder and realise that they are part of a pretty elite gang whose scars tell the world about a very important journey of bravery and resilience.

At Chuf, the work that we do to stretches beyond equipment and staff, our mission is to support our Heart Heroes to achieve their full potential and give them the tools they need to take on the world. We’ve always known that having a heart scar makes you a superhero, but now its official!

We want to empower our Heart Heroes to say #MyScarIsMySuperpower.

Mul collaboration

We have proudly partnered with popular local artist Mul as part of our #MyScarIsMySuperpower campaign. You’ve probably seen his iconic murals all around Newcastle City Centre and beyond, featuring his signature heart characters, which (for obvious reasons) caught our eye!

It means so much to us that Mul shares our vision and has created this piece of art to support our mission and remind our Heart Heroes that their scars are cool and represent a courageous journey.

Get Involved

Let’s work together to change perceptions!

We want to showcase surgery scars from all around the world by putting together a piece of public art that tells an amazing story. SO, we’re asking you to show us your surgery scar by sending us a picture that will feature in this positive piece of art, made to represent, and celebrate the community of wonderfully heroic children, teenagers and adults living with scars.

You must read and agree to T&C’s before uploading your image and please be sure that you are appropriately covered when showing your scar so that the image can be shown publicly.

P.S. this campaign is not exclusive to heart scars – we’re representing ALL medical surgery scars.

T&C’s

By uploading your image, you are consenting to this image being used online and as part as a piece of art that will be shown publicly as part of Chuf’s #MyScarIsMySuperpower campaign.

This image will be stored for the longevity of the campaign. However, you can request for this image to be removed from the system at any time before artwork is finalised.

Any scars shown must be from medical surgery only, not exclusive to heart surgery

Please make sure that the person in the image is appropriately covered so that the image can be shown publicly.