#MyScarIs
MySuperpower

#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.

Empowering artwork

We are working 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. We asked our Heart Heroes to show us their surgery scar by sending us a picture that featured in a positive piece of art, made to represent, and celebrate the community of wonderfully heroic children, teenagers and adults living with scars.  The artwork was projected in landmark venues across the North East and celebrated nationally by media outlets across the country.