Wesley and God Octopuses

Octopuses in the NICU first appeared in European hospitals 3-4 years ago. A hospital in Denmark found that when premature babies cuddled with the octopi, they had more regular heart rates and better oxygenation. The magic is in the tentacles! In utero, babies often ‘play’ with their umbilical cord. The tentacles resemble the umbilical cord for the baby! Another very important benefit is that the tentacles give the baby something to grasp other than things like their cannulas, endotracheal tubes, or nasogastric tubes, lessening the chance that they will accidentally pull something out or off.

The journey that began with a tiny Wesley, a single octopus, and a great big God has now expanded farther than anyone involved at the beginning could have imagined that it would.

That one little octopus that Julia made has now led to the creation of over 200 WAGOs, with twice-monthly camps teaching others to make them. These camps started leaving the Gun Barrel City church building by heading to teen camp in June of 2021. Ten to twenty people have regularly shown up to learn and donate time and talent.

Through connections from Wesley’s journey and others that have formed as his story has spread, WAGOs are now heading to six different hospitals, one of which has requested WAGOs to have on hand when they open their NICU in November of 2021.

New WAGO camps are forming quickly in different towns and states as people begin to see what a difference can be made with a crochet hook and a skein of yarn. The organic spread is so exciting to watch. It is even crossing oceans as a church in New Zealand is working on its own WAGO program.

It almost seems as though that great big God needed the tiny (but mighty) warrior to plant the seed… and now that they are up there together, they are sitting back watching love spreading through the hearts and hands of people all over the world.