By Khalida Sarwari
When 12-year-old Colette Vance was hospitalized due to complications from pediatric choledochal cyst surgery, her beloved dolls were literally beside her. When the pain of getting poked and prodded by needles became overwhelming, she would grab one and hug it tight.
During the two months she spent at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, doctors, nurses, and staff would use the dolls to help the sixth-grader better understand the procedures, surgeries and tests she was facing. As a result, her dolls, one with her namesake and the other named Emory, have their own set of crutches, cast, syringes and other medical items Colette received from staff at the hospital. Having her dolls next to her took her mind off the pain.
“It was really nice because it gave me so much comfort to play with them,” said Colette, who lives in Saratoga and attends Canyon Heights Academy. “I realized how lucky I am to be able to have all these dolls and some kids can’t have them for whatever reason.”
Healthy and pain-free two years later, Colette is delivering that comfort to other young patients. Through her Hearts for Dolls initiative, she repairs and restores used American Girl dolls for a fee and then uses the proceeds to buy new dolls for sick kids at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital who can’t afford them. The dolls are well over $100.
To learn how to fix dolls, Colette turned to tutorials on YouTube. It began as a favor for a friend, then classmates, and before she knew it it was turning into a full-time hobby. With some help from her father, she can pierce dolls’ ears, re-wig them, remove facial stains, tighten limbs and is in the process of learning how to replace their eyes. Colette has also raised money for Hearts for Dolls through a lemonade stand and creating and selling jump ropes.
Since March, she has repaired around 35 dolls, raised $700 and bought four new ones for young patients–two of whom have cancer–and has raised enough to buy three others. Expensive as they are, American Girl dolls have always been Colette’s favorite.
“You can almost feel how much they love you, and you don’t feel afraid,” Colette said of her four dolls, the first of which she’s had since she was 3. The dolls each have their own beds in her room and during the day Colette props them against the pillows on her bed.
Sharing her love of American Girl dolls makes her feel just as good as getting one for herself.
“I just enjoy knowing that those kids are happy,” she said. “Giving is what matters, to show people I’m thinking about you and praying for you–it might not take all the pain away, but it can definitely make them feel a little bit better.”
Eventually, she wants to transform Hearts for Dolls into an endeavor where people can help others, she said. “Anywhere, anyone; it’s as simple as that,” she said.
Next month, Colette will be participating in the Palo Alto Auxiliary’s American Girl Doll Fashion Show and Tea, an annual fundraiser for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. The benefit will feature local girls modeling historic and modern fashions while carrying dolls in matching outfits. This year several girls who have undergone surgery or transplants at Lucile Packard are taking part in the show. The fundraiser is at 10:30 a.m., and 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 and at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 16. at Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos.
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at paloaltoauxiliary.com.
To learn how to contribute to the Hearts for Dolls, email heartsfordolls2013@gmail.com.
