"I think the first doll I made was a zucchini wrapped in a towel on my grandma's farm...I'd like to think I've come a long way since then!" She definitely has. Amy creates each doll special for each child, giving so much love and attention to detail that the doll come out with just as much sparkle and personality as it's owner. She had been making dolls with vintage pillow cases when a friend of a friend, Macey, requested a special doll. One that looked like her-with an amputated leg. "That was my first experience with a limb difference of any type, and word traveled pretty quick on Facebook! I tried to stay ahead of it and contacted Jenn from Born Just Right to see what she thought about the idea. After Jordan got her doll, I realized how important it is for kids to have a doll that looks like them!" And it all snowballed from there.
Amy worked as a social worker in a pediatric oncology unit, where she saw first hand how body adjustment takes a toll. She watched as kids going through chemotherapy lost their hair, and always thought it would be neat to sew dolls without hair to comfort patients in their journey. It wasn't until Macey requested a doll that looked like her with a limb difference that Amy realized there wasn't already someone making limb different dolls. "More than any other toy, kids need to see themselves represented in dolls...whether it's skin color, hair color, no hair, or any other difference! I believe that it is validating because it just becomes a reflection of the recipient!"
Though she never intended it to become a business, things have definitely escalated to the point of her becoming a celebrity within the limb different community! Orders are flooding in, and the best part for Amy is that it's not just little kids who are receiving the dolls. From little ones like Addy, to an 11 year old girl overwhelmed with emotion when seeing her doll, to a 70 year old woman receiving a doll, the demographic is huge. "My hope is that little ones, like Addy, will never have to say "I wish I had a doll that looks like me"! Amy has even had people donate dolls to kids who otherwise couldn't afford to receive a doll of their likeness. One donor said it perfectly when he told Amy, "we all have it in us to be someone's guardian angel". What's even MORE amazing, is that $5 of each doll's price is donated to Camp No Limits. These dolls are making a difference in more ways than one.
Amy is doing something that no other mass production company can do. She is bringing dolls to children that look just like them. I remember thinking about dolls when Addy was born, and how one day she would notice that they had two hands, while she had only one. I even thought about trying to find a doll with soft arms to try and create one that looked like Addy, and I am so thankful I found Amy. When I ordered Addy's doll, I knew that while she may not understand how important and special her doll is now, there will come a time where she will have questions about her missing hand, and I will be able to use her doll to show her that she is perfectly made. She will see herself in the doll, and hopefully find comfort in her snuggly friend! We have affectionately named Addy's new friend "Sassy", and she has definitely made our little girl very happy already!
To order a doll of your own, visit Amy's Facebook page, A Doll Like Me, and send Amy a message along with a photo of the recipient so that Amy can work her magic! I'm sure she has a wait list going by now, but trust me...it's well worth the wait to see the happiness these dolls bring!
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