Many girls have a special doll while growing up that they love playing with more than anything. That doll is their constant companion in all of their imaginary games. They brush the doll’s hair, change its clothes, and pretend to feed it like it’s their own baby.
While a doll may seem like an insignificant plaything to some, to others a special doll can be life-changing. That was the case when little Emma was recently given her very own American Girl doll.
While at first it looked like any other doll, there was actually something very special about this one. You see, Emma has a prosthetic leg and, with the help of A Step Ahead Prosthetics, her parents were able to give her a doll that has a prosthetic leg just like her.
Emma’s little sister excitedly delivered the special package with instructions to read the letter in the box before taking out the doll. Emma started to read and then got too excited, opening up the package and looking at the doll’s legs with a gasp.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” she exclaimed before ripping into the packaging. Then, overcome with joy at having a special doll who understood her, Emma broke down in tears. “It’s got a leg like me!” she cried.
Click on the video below to see the special moment for yourself:
“After she arrived she was given a room to stay in while her new leg was being made. She was fitted with a leg in her favorite color – pink – and started walking on it right away. After a few weeks of training to walk and run in her new prosthetic, she is ready to go home and live her life without limitations with you.”
“Thank you,” Emma said as she tearfully looked into the camera. “Thank you for making a doll like me.”
A Step Ahead has been gaining attention lately for the American Girl dolls they have been customizing for little girls who have lost their limbs. Because they feel these dolls are “absolutely crucial to boost the self-confidence, self-esteem, and feelings of inclusion for little girls with limb loss, and that something as small as a doll that resembles them can have a profound effect on their mental and physical well-being,” they do not charge for the customization.
Any child who has had or is facing an amputation can send A Step Ahead an American Girl doll and they will modify the doll with a prosthetic limb to match the child. Anyone interested in having them customize a doll can contact A Step Ahead Prosthetics here. Also, donations can be made toward helping families who cannot afford to buy a doll at www.onestepaheadfoundation.org.
Were you touched by little Emma’s reaction to the doll that looks just like her? So share this!
