Pacheco is a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School in California, US. When she was a little girl, her parents let her choose an American Girl doll. She picked one with a hair color and style that matched her own." She looked like me, and I felt there was a piece of me in her," said Pacheco." You see yourself in a doll, and it's really special to have that connection."
But what about children with medical condition who don't like anyone else? Pacheco wanted to give these children the same gift she got as a child. Over the past several months, she has made dolls for kids who have unique facial appearances. “Each of these kids is so special. I hope through these dolls they can see themselves in a new light and really appreciate their beauty."
Pacheco got the idea for the doll project after remembering a magazine story about "A Doll Like Me". This is a project that makes custom dolls for children with disabilities. Pacheco reached out to Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, an organization that provides free operations and other medical treatment for children. She asked if she could create similar dolls for some of its clients(顾客).
For this project, Pacheco watched doll-making course, then designed her own patterns and figured out how to make dolls that looked like her clients. It was important to her that the children could see themselves in the dolls, but that their differences would not be the most noticeable feature(特征).
Zulema Gillett got one of Pacheco's dolls. She said she loved the idea." Who doesn't want a doll that looks like them and that they could relate to(产生联系)?"Gillett said.
Michelle Pius, chief development officer for Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, was impressed by .Pacheco's dolls. "It is a very kind and warm-hearted gesture to make dolls that will help a child feel like they're not alone," Pius said.
