Love, Debbie

A Los Angeles nonprofit · In memory of Debbie Phelps

Love, Debbie

A brand-new Beanie Baby and a note of love for children facing cancer, and for their brothers and sisters.

Read Debbie's story For hospitals & child life teams
Tiffany, in a Mickey Mouse cap, and her mom Debbie, in a navy floral shirt with a button that says Debbie, smiling together at Disneyland.
Me and my mom at Disneyland

Our story

Meet Debbie

My mom, Debbie, was a mom's mom. She made every Christmas feel like magic, she loved her Ty Beanie Babies, and she could never part with a single one. After lung cancer took her in 2025, I knew her Beanies, still brand new in their bags, belonged with the kids who need a little comfort most.

Tiffany Phelps, Debbie's daughter and founder of Love, Debbie

Read Debbie's storyClose Debbie's story

My mom, Debbie, was a mom's mom. Growing up it was just the two of us, and she made our home feel special. At Christmas, the house always smelled like Christmas and her decorations were pure magic. We watched Christmas movies, baked cookies, and every Christmas Eve she read me 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. My friends loved her, and she loved them right back. She believed in my dreams before I did, and she always made more food than anyone could eat.

She also loved Beanie Babies, especially the Ty bears. She collected them for years and could never bring herself to part with a single one.

In 2022, Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer, and my world fell apart. She fought for three years. She reached remission and had 18 good months, but the cancer came back in March 2025, and she passed away that June. She fought until the very end, and she showed me the strength of a mother's love.

I sat beside her through many of her treatments. Anyone who has loved someone with cancer knows how hard the journey is to put into words. There's so much hope and so much fear. There are wins and setbacks, and appointments that wear you down. A clean scan brings complete relief, and then the worry about the next one starts.

Even on hard days, Mom noticed the toy drives in the infusion center at the holidays, and she loved that kids in treatment got gifts. One Christmas, we dropped off toys together at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. It's one of my most special memories with her.

Mom adored kids, and she was the best Grammy to my son. Love, Debbie shares her Beanie Babies, still brand new in their bags, with children facing cancer and with their brothers and sisters. We'll be there on scan days, during treatment, and at Christmas, to bring a little joy to the celebrations and a little comfort on the hard days, even if it's only for a few minutes.

That's what she would have wanted. Every Beanie comes with a note, and every note says what she always said best: Love, Debbie

Tiffany Phelps

What we do

For the hard days, and the happy ones

Every Beanie is brand new and sealed, straight from Debbie's collection, and each one comes with a note signed Love, Debbie

  • Treatment days

    For kids in the hospital and kids at outpatient and infusion clinics. Something soft to hold during a long day.

  • Scan days

    MRI, CT, and PET scans are hard days, for kids and their families. Something to hold onto while they wait.

  • Siblings, too

    Brothers and sisters spend a lot of time in waiting rooms. They get a Beanie and a note of their own.

  • Holiday delivery

    Every December, a big delivery of new Beanies for kids spending Christmas or Hanukkah in treatment. Mom always made the holidays special, and we want to do the same.

Safe and new, always. Every Beanie is brand new with its tags on, sealed in a clean bag, and delivered through the hospital's donation or child life team, following their rules. We never visit patients, and we never take photos of them.

The note

Every Beanie comes with a note

Each sealed bag includes a small printed card signed from Debbie. There's a note for kids in treatment, one for scan days, one for brothers and sisters, and holiday notes for Christmas and Hanukkah.

On the back, a QR code leads here, so families can read about Debbie.

For grown-ups to read aloud: “This is from Debbie. She wanted you to know you've got this.”

You're stronger than you know. Keep going.

Love, Debbie
Treatment day

It's okay to be scared. Hold tight today.

Love, Debbie
Scan day

You're a great brother or sister. You matter too.

Love, Debbie
Siblings

Merry Christmas. You are a fighter. Wishing you all the best.

Love, Debbie
Christmas

Happy Hanukkah. You are a fighter. Wishing you all the best.

Love, Debbie
Hanukkah

More notes we write

Every card says something a little different, and every one is signed Love, Debbie.

Treatment day

  • You're stronger than you know. Keep going.
  • One day at a time. You've got this.
  • You are brave, even on the hard days.
  • Keep fighting. You're doing amazing.
  • Hold on to hope. Better days are coming.

Scan day

  • It's okay to be scared. Hold tight today.
  • Deep breath. You've got this.
  • You don't have to be brave every minute. Just hold on tight.
  • Whatever today brings, you are not alone.
  • Squeeze tight. This one's got you.

Siblings

  • You're a great brother or sister. You matter too.
  • Being a big sister or brother is a big job. You're doing great.
  • This one is just for you. You matter so much.
  • Your family is lucky to have you.
  • You're part of the team, and you're doing great.

Christmas

  • Merry Christmas. You are a fighter. Wishing you all the best.
  • Merry Christmas. Wishing you hope, healing, and brighter days.
  • Merry Christmas. You are loved this season and always.

Hanukkah

  • Happy Hanukkah. You are a fighter. Wishing you all the best.
  • Happy Hanukkah. Wishing you light, hope, and brighter days.
  • Happy Hanukkah. May your days be filled with light.

Anytime

  • You are a fighter. Keep going.
  • Never give up. You've got this.
  • Sending you strength today.

For hospitals & child life teams

We'd love to bring Beanies to your kids

We're starting in Los Angeles and looking for our first hospital and clinic partners. We work around your policies, not the other way around.

Email tiffany@lovedebbie.org
  • Brand new, every time. Authentic Ty Beanie Babies, new with tags, never played with.
  • Sealed and clean. Each Beanie and its printed note go into a new sealed bag, packed in new boxes and labeled by count and note type.
  • Your infection-control rules come first. Size limits, no paper, sticker-only tags, drop-off only: tell us, and we'll match it.
  • Through your team. We deliver to your donations office or child life team, on your schedule, at the holidays or all year.
  • No visits, no photos. We never ask to see patients, and we never collect patient information.
  • Free to you. There's no cost to your hospital or the families you serve.

How to help

How to help

  • Coming soon

    Sponsor a Beanie · $10

    $10 covers a new Beanie Baby and its note for one child. Online giving opens soon. Email us to be the first to know.

    Tell me when it opens

  • Volunteer

    Help us bag Beanies and pack notes before deliveries.

    I'd like to volunteer

  • Give new Beanies

    Collectors: if you have new Beanie Babies with tags on, never played with, we'd be glad to pass them on. Please email us before mailing anything.

    I have Beanies to give

  • Spread the word

    Share this page with a nurse, a child life specialist, or a family who might want to know about us.

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