San Diego teen, Ariella Pacheco, sews unique dolls for children with medical conditions because she knows that kids find comfort in dolls that look like them. She believes that children with rare medical conditions would have little chances of finding a toy that resembles them.
Growing up, the now-senior student at Cathedral Catholic High School tends to bond well with dolls that resemble her. She chose an American Girl doll looking like her so that anyone who sees will think it is her sister.
A piece of her in the doll
The 17-year-old told "The San Diego Union-Tribune" that she felt there was a piece of her in the doll. She explained that there is a special connection when you see yourself in a doll.
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Children who see their physical image in dolls find comfort and connection. The same goes when they see their racial and cultural heritage in them. However, recently, kids have a hard time finding diversity when shopping for dolls.
Some segments of the people are still excluded, although mass-market selections have increased in recent years. Children that look different than the norm due to their medical conditions could not find dolls that look like them.
It gave Pacheco an idea because she knows how essential making a personal connection for a child is. The teenage girl was inspired by the "A Doll Like Me" project by Milwaukee doll designer named Amy Jandrisevits.
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Pacheco decided to design and sew unique dolls for the National Honor Society chapter, her annual service school project. She would donate them to children with rare medical conditions.
Find children and create unique dolls
Pacheco partnered with "Fresh Start Surgical Gifts" in Carlsbad, California, to find children and create unique dolls for them. It is a non-profit organization that provides free surgical and medical treatment for children.
She received pictures and profiles for doll subjects, and she narrowed them to four types. She made dolls with surgical scars, and with a port-wine birthmark. Her third type would be one with jaw alignment issues and another one with facial and cranial anomalies.
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Chief development officer of Fresh Start, Michelle Pius, said that she was "blown away" by the final product. She said that Pacheco was very kind and has a big heart to make dolls to help a child feel like they are not alone.
The San Diego teen watched and learned sewing and pattern-making tutorials on YouTube before she started making dolls. She also read up on her subjects' favorite pastimes and preferred color palettes.
She wanted to make sure that the kids see themselves in her creations. However, she did not want the things that set the children apart from others to become the most obvious feature of the dolls.
Pacheco put so much love into making the dolls, so they represented each child faithfully. She is hoping that the kids could see themselves in a new light and embrace their unique beauty in the dolls that she makes.
