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<\/p>\nAmy Jandrisevits appreciates a well-made doll for what it is. \u2018Dolls have a power we don’t totally comprehend,\u2019 she said on the Today show. <\/p>\n
As a pediatric cancer social worker, she came to this realization while utilizing dolls to help her young clients cope with their medical conditions. <\/p>\n
That doll was a reflection of themselves for many of the kids. Children who had lost a limb or their hair were unable to find dolls that represented them. <\/p>\n
So, when a friend revealed seven years ago that her child was transgender, Jandrisevits knew how to support the child while still being an LGBTQ ally. <\/p>\n
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To promote a child’s self-esteem, she says, \u2018it’s hard to tell a youngster, ‘You are perfect the way you are,’ yet never provide them anything that looks like them.\u2019<\/p>\n
Toys whose young fans can see themselves reflected in their appearance <\/p>\n
But Jandrisevits set out to alter that. She used fabric, thread, and markers to create a doll like her friend’s baby and mailed it to her. <\/p>\n
A mother asked Jandrisevits to create a doll to look like her child who was born without a limb after seeing a photo of her friend’s child playing with the doll online. <\/p>\n
Soon, children with scars, birthmarks, facial deformities, and tracheostomies could come to Jandrisevits and commission a doll that looked just like them. After being laid off, she founded the charity A Doll Like Me. <\/p>\n
From her Milwaukee home, Jandrisevits spends around seven hours making each doll based on images given by parents or caretakers.<\/p>\n
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She is able to volunteer her skills and cover some of her expenses thanks to a GoFundMe campaign. When she first started her charity, she didn’t even charge for the dolls she gave away. <\/p>\n
So far, she’s created almost 400 dolls. Even if there is a large waiting list, Jandrisevits is not deterred. <\/p>\n
\u2018Every kid\u2014regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, age, medical issue, or body type\u2014should gaze into the gentle face of a doll and see their own,\u2019 she writes on her GoFundMe website. <\/p>\n