CLEVELAND — Dolls have been a popular play pal to kids for centuries, but when Amy Jandrisevits, of Wisconsin, saw a problem in the doll-making industry, she took matters into her own hands to make a change.
Jandrisevits has loved dolls since she was a little girl. She eventually learned how to make them, then used them as a social worker to help kids cope with cancer.
She realized how easy it was to relate to them, because they looked so much like her. But that, she says, was the problem. There weren't any dolls representing kids of all races, differences, or disabilities.
“You put in a child of color, without hair, with scars, and you give them a blonde haired, blue eyed doll, it’s not a good fit," Jandrisevits said.
So, she did something about it -- making dolls that were unique and special to each child. She calls the mission, "A Doll Like Me."
“So usually, what I say when people say, you know, what is a Doll Like Me or what do you do, I always say, in a nutshell, I make dolls for kids who will never see themselves on the store shelves,” Jandrisevits said. “I get so much joy and satisfaction out of doing this. And knowing that these dolls are sitting on my dining room table, on my kitchen counter, my family knows who these kids are now.”
Every doll is carefully hand-sewn for six to seven hours in Jandrisevits' home. It's important to her to do every stitch. It's even more meaningful to the families. Especially, the ones who need the most comfort.
“There was one, I did a doll for a mom at the request of her friend, and she lost her son to cancer. And she just said, 'I want to hold him one more time.' And the friend said, 'Do you think it’s appropriate to get her a doll?'" Jandrisevits recalled. “And I happen to see the video of her opening him, and she knelt down and, it makes me want to cry now, she knelt down and stroked his hair."
It's an honor, she says, to make the dolls that carry so much meaning.
“I’m always struck at how trusting parents are of me and letting me into a piece of their lives that is difficult," Jandrisevits said.
The dolls are representing change. The change of what people think is normal -- letting kids thrive in a world that looks more like them.
“These won’t be the kids with the hand, leg, birthmark, scar. These will be the kids with the doll, and that’s a whole different story. And I think that’s how we change the narrative," Jandrisevits said. “They need a place at the table, and not a conceded one or a obligatory one, we all deserve a place there.”
Most dolls are gifted to these very special children. Jandrisevits says she gets support from a GoFundMe account to keep A Doll Like Me thriving.
If you'd like to help, click HERE.