When children have to deal with serious medical issues, it can often leave them feeling lonely and isolated.
Although their parents are supporting them through the process, it can still be hard for them to deal with challenges they shouldn't have to face until they're much older.
If their ailments leave them looking different than other kids their age, it can be hard for parents to explain to their kids that even though they're different, it doesn't make them any less valuable.
Little kids are resilient, but it can still be hard for them to fully understand that their differences actually just make them more special and unique.
One sweet little girl, Brynn, lost her right eye to cancer when she was just a toddler, but she didn't let it get her down.
Brynn is always smiling and brightening other people's days, so her mom, Danielle, knew she wanted to get her little girl a special gift for her third birthday.
[H/T Love What Matters]
After deciding she wanted to get her daughter a birthday gift that would reflect her uniqueness, Danielle contacted Jessica Sebastian of Sebastian Design with a very specific request.
She wanted a one-eyed doll.
Jessica was stunned at the request, but made the doll and shared the following story on Love What Matters.
The story went viral, with over 34,000 likes and 1,750 shares in less than a day.
I make dolls, which is not a heroic profession.
But recently I was asked to make a doll for a little girl who is a superhero.
A mama contacted me and asked if I would make a bunny doll with one eye for her two-year-old daughter who loves animals and lost her left eye to cancer.
The girl had started to notice she was different and her sweet mama read articles about how finding a doll who matches how a child looks can be helpful and therapeutic.
She wanted her daughter to have a doll that looks like her and only has her right eye.
To date, I don't think I've ever been asked to create something so tender and meaningful.
Here is the adorable little girl on her third birthday, hugging her one-eyed bunny who is just as perfect and beautiful as she is.
My favorite part of this photo is how she is wearing her Wonder Woman nightgown.
It perfectly represents the strength and courage of this little superhero.
Brynn truly is a little superhero, and now she has a beautiful doll that will always remind her that her differences are her strengths.
Jessica told LittleThings that she almost denied Danielle's request because she has such a long waitlist and usually sells out immediately, but then she realized she couldn't say no.
She explained:
The whole reason I started making dolls is because I have two girls who don’t really look like sisters (because one is brown and one is white) and I wanted them to have dolls that looked like them.
So when Danielle asked if I could make a doll who looked like her daughter, I just decided I couldn't say no.
And she was so sweet and excited about it.
Getting the pictures from her and also a cute video from her daughter hugging it was quite honestly one of the best things I’ve ever seen.
I'm so grateful to share her story. She seems like such a sweet, kind person. We've never met in real life and I don't know that we will, but we now have this bond.
What I have observed since is an outpouring of support and positivity both for me and for Brynn.
People can be so amazingly kind.
To see more of Jessica's handmade dolls, visit her Facebook page or Etsy store.
If you think all kids deserve to feel beautiful and accepted, please SHARE this article with your friends and family!
