"How was the first day of school?" Veronika asked as Billy and Jolena came in.
"It was good," Jolena said. "Our teacher this year seems very nice."
"They're always very nice," Billy pointed out. "They have to teach us to be nice. You have to be nice to teach others to be nice."
Jolena thought Billy had a good point. Veronika just smiled.
"There's a boy doll who's new this year," Billy said. "He doesn't have a wig or rooted hair. His head is shiny."
"We didn't know whether he was a boy or a girl," Billy added when he and Jolena got to where Veronika was in the living room. "With dolls, it's usually the hair and clothes that let you know," he added.
"I saw dolls' heads without hair in the factory," Jolena said. "I watched them add the hair with a machine that reminded me of a sewing machine."
"I did, too," Billy agreed, "and then when Emil and I got our wigs, The Writer removed all our rooted hair from our heads. Our heads had been painted to sort of match our hair."
"I've never seen a doll just go around with no hair before," Jolena continued the story, after she had sat down, "and his head wasn't painted. It seemed strange."
"Did you ask him about it?" Veronika asked the other two dolls.
"We did," Billy said. "We told him his look was interesting."
"His name is Ricky," Jolena explained, "and he's proud of his bald head."
"Yes," Billy said, "Ricky is bald on purpose. His child is a boy who is getting some treatments from doctors for a disease he has."
"The treatments are called chemo (KEE-mo)," Jolena continued the story. "These treatments sometimes cause the human people to lose hair and even become bald. That happened with Ricky's boy."
"Yes," Billy agreed. "Ricky told us the disease is caused by some cells (those are parts of the body you can only see through a microscope) that are not made right but grow at a very fast rate. The chemo gets rid of the bad cells that grow fast, but it also damages the normal cells that grow fast. The cells that produce hair are like that, too, so they often stop working and the hair falls out."
"Ricky says," Jolena went on, "that usually the hair grows back later, when the treatments are done, but a child who is getting chemo may be bald for a time."
"Ricky was made to be bald in the factory," Billy explained, "so he could live with a child who was getting chemo treatments. Ricky's child wouldn't have to be the only one with no hair."
"The boy's parents bought Ricky for their son," Jolena explained.
Veronika nodded. "I suspected it might be something like that," she said. "Some dolls are made without hair for that reason. Lots of doll companies have them."
"Some real human children," Veronika went on, "who lose their hair wear wigs, like many dolls do, only they aren't glued on."
"Sometimes they wear hats," Veronika added, "or other kinds of head coverings, but some decide not to wear anything on their heads, except when they go outdoors. Then they need to because real human children can get sunburn or their heads can get cold."
"Some human people," Veronika continued, "sew or knit hats and caps for children and grownup people to wear if they lose their hair. They do it because it's fun to make something, and they want to help people who are sick."
"I wonder if Ricky needs a hat," Jolena suggested. "Then he could be like his boy, if he decides to wear a hat."
"Dolls don't get sunburn," Billy said, "but maybe Ricky would like a hat if his boy wears one. Mandy could knit him one! She knits lots of hats."
"It's still warm out," Jolena pointed out. "Maybe a sun hat, or a ball cap, like yours, would be better, at least until it cools off."
"That's a great idea," Billy agreed.
"I think we still have the fabric we used for your ball caps," Veronika said. "I mean, they weren't that hard to make. I could sew one tonight, and you could take it to Ricky tomorrow."
"It takes Mandy only a few days to knit a hat," Jolena said. "There's plenty of time for her to finish one before it gets cold."
"Let's ask her!" Billy exclaimed. "If she says yes, we can take Ricky a ball cap tomorrow and tell him that he will be getting a warm hat for winter from Mandy."
"We asked Ricky what he would do when his boy's hair grew back," Billy went on. "He said he wanted to get a wig like mine."
"Ricky says he likes my wig," Billy explained. "It makes me look like a real boy. I told him Emil and I would help him pick it out," Billy added.
"You know," Jolena said, "I wish I could do something to help Ricky and his boy, too."
"It's too bad Ricky's child is sick," Billy said sadly, "but I'm glad they are making him well."
"I have an idea for you," said Veronika. "You can help Ricky and the boy he lives with, but you can help other real children who are sick, too."
Billy and Jolena were both very interested. Jolena came close and leaned on the couch.
"Here's what you can do," Veronika said as Jolena climbed up and sat down. "You can help raise money for a hospital or an organization that helps treat children who have this kind of disease," she continued.
"We dolls are so lucky," Veronika went on. "We can't get sick unless we want to, and then it's just pretend. For us to get well doesn't take money, but for real children to get well often takes a lot of money. We can help with that."
"How would we do that?" Billy asked.
"There's something called a fundraiser," Veronika explained. "People and dolls who want to help do something to raise funds (that's money) for a group or organization that helps people. Sometimes they sell cookies or cakes or lemonade. Sometimes they get together and get businesses to donate things to sell, but they also often have a run or a walk to raise money."
"That would be great," Billy exclaimed, looking at Jolena. "Don't you think so?"
Jolena did.
"They ask their friends to pick an amount to donate for every mile they run or walk," Veronika continued. "Someone watches everyone run or walk and reports how far they went."
"But we can only run and walk when no one is looking," Jolena complained. "How would we do that?"
"This year," Veronika replied, "some of these organizations are using an app you can put on your phone. All you have to do is turn on the phone, open the app and get it started, then carry the phone in your backpack."
"No one will ever need to see you walk or run!" Veronika exclaimed.
Billy and Jolena looked at each other and nodded.
It sounded like a good idea. Veronika went to the computer and found where they could both sign up.
After the Jolena and Billy had signed up, they followed the directions and sent emails to friends, asking them to donate whatever they could and giving them the link. Then they posted what they were doing online, asking their friends there to donate, and to share what they were doing.
The next day Billy and Jolena got the dolls' phone to use to keep track of Billy's steps.
They only have one phone to share, but The Writer let Jolena use her spare phone, so they could both join in. Jolena put it carefully into her backpack.
Then Jolena gave Billy the hat Veronika had made for Ricky. He put it into his pack with the dolls' phone.
"I wonder how many doll steps are in a mile," Jolena said.
"A lot," Billy said. He didn't know exactly how far a mile was, but he was pretty sure it was a lot of doll steps.
Note: If you would like to help, too, you can sign up for the event Billy and Jolena are doing here. Be sure to get your parents permission! There are other events, as well, especially during September. Your parents can help you find one that suits you.
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
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Copyright © 2021 by Peggy Stuart
It sounds like those vinyl kids are having fun while they are helping.
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ReplyDeleteThey seem to have fun most of the time. I'm glad I get to share it with them.
DeleteBeautiful story and done In a very sensitive way. Thank you.
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