Breast cancer paper doll...

JGrim
JGrim Member Posts: 36
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I have a super-inquisitive five year old neighbor and this prompted me to design a paper doll to help explain to her exactly what's going on (she caught me unawares one day and my response to "What's in those bags?" was "My insides." so obviously some better explanations were in order). I realize not everyone wants to be explicit about cancer with their smaller children, but for the people who do want to explain more thoroughly I thought I'd share what I'd got done so far.

The doll is at my site (www.CancerVacation.com) under a "paper doll" link along the top navigation bar. I would just link the doll directly but there are surgery photos and such in other portions of my site so I don't want to circumvent the main site warnings.

I'm offering the doll for free because the people who would need it the most (mothers or caretakers of young children) are not exactly rich, but I'm not making any income and actually just ran my pens out of ink finishing that bit up, so if any of you really like the doll the odd dollar or two would increase the odds of additional pages going up (I'd like to add more dolls with more facial and body type variety, or show other treatment phases). Also if there's anything you'd really like to see as far as future dolls go I'm open to suggestions.

Comments

  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #2
    Love your site
    J,

    Your site is amazing and I love your art. I think the breast cancer doll is an inspired idea. Thank you for sharing it. I recommend your site to everyone dealing with this disease.

    Mimi
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    #3
    mimivac said:

    Love your site
    J,

    Your site is amazing and I love your art. I think the breast cancer doll is an inspired idea. Thank you for sharing it. I recommend your site to everyone dealing with this disease.

    Mimi

    Wonderful idea
    Wonderful idea for young children.

    Margo
  • xskeetshooter
    xskeetshooter Member Posts: 169
    #4
    parents
    hope the 5 year olds parents knows your talking to this child
  • xskeetshooter
    xskeetshooter Member Posts: 169
    #5
    parents
    hope the 5 year olds parents knows your talking to this child
  • JGrim
    JGrim Member Posts: 36
    #6
    xskeetshooter said:

    parents
    hope the 5 year olds parents knows your talking to this child

    ...

    ...
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #7
    xskeetshooter said:

    parents
    hope the 5 year olds parents knows your talking to this child

    No need for you to worry
    I'm pretty sure they know about it
  • JGrim
    JGrim Member Posts: 36
    #8
    mimivac said:

    No need for you to worry
    I'm pretty sure they know about it

    Yeah, first I was going to
    Yeah, first I was going to reply "Of course they know... she sits outside and waits for me to come out and screams 'Do you have boobies yet?'... the whole neighborhood knows she's talking to me." Then I deleted that and typed out "If they don't know where their five year old is or who she's talking to then they have bigger problems than her learning about cancer." Then I backspaced and typed out "..." because I just didn't know what to say.

    That wasn't the relevant part of the story so I didn't expand on it... but it's kind of frustrating to try to share something for free that I spent all week working on and what someone takes away from that is "scary lady talks to five year old". Just so the same thing won't happen again with this post, let me clarify... I have this inquisitive five year old neighbor (who is completely well cared for) and she asks me questions about my cancer (with the full knowledge and permission of her mother) and to help me explain to her (while her mother is there) I made this paper doll.

    On another note, Ava didn't get to see the doll until yesterday because there's school now and she's too busy to camp me out as much, but I did tell her mom how proud I was that she was so smart and brave and asked such good questions that it would inspire a doll like that. If my site ever makes tons of cash (unlikely since out of thousands of hits I've only gotten two PayPal contributions) I want to pick her up something to help her learn, like a microscope or something. Or a bookstore certificate. Something. She's a smart cookie.
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #9
    JGrim said:

    Yeah, first I was going to
    Yeah, first I was going to reply "Of course they know... she sits outside and waits for me to come out and screams 'Do you have boobies yet?'... the whole neighborhood knows she's talking to me." Then I deleted that and typed out "If they don't know where their five year old is or who she's talking to then they have bigger problems than her learning about cancer." Then I backspaced and typed out "..." because I just didn't know what to say.

    That wasn't the relevant part of the story so I didn't expand on it... but it's kind of frustrating to try to share something for free that I spent all week working on and what someone takes away from that is "scary lady talks to five year old". Just so the same thing won't happen again with this post, let me clarify... I have this inquisitive five year old neighbor (who is completely well cared for) and she asks me questions about my cancer (with the full knowledge and permission of her mother) and to help me explain to her (while her mother is there) I made this paper doll.

    On another note, Ava didn't get to see the doll until yesterday because there's school now and she's too busy to camp me out as much, but I did tell her mom how proud I was that she was so smart and brave and asked such good questions that it would inspire a doll like that. If my site ever makes tons of cash (unlikely since out of thousands of hits I've only gotten two PayPal contributions) I want to pick her up something to help her learn, like a microscope or something. Or a bookstore certificate. Something. She's a smart cookie.

    I know this is a sensitive topic
    Children and cancer and how to tell them is surely a sensitive topic, but I just love what you're doing. Children need to know on their own terms and this does that.

    Mimi
  • GreeneyedGirl
    GreeneyedGirl Member Posts: 1,077
    #10
    mimivac said:

    I know this is a sensitive topic
    Children and cancer and how to tell them is surely a sensitive topic, but I just love what you're doing. Children need to know on their own terms and this does that.

    Mimi

    Fabulous site
    ~if cancer could ever have the word fabulous attached to it...I loved maneuvering around your site and found the pics so informative. I wondered about my own surgery as I looked at your photos. Julia you are so young. I appreciate your honesty, and you have shown the reality of what we've endured as cancer survivors. Your site is expressive and true to yourself. I plan on sharing it with my sisters first, then my friends as it will come up in conversations. I think you are brave. Aren't we all really????
    Thank you~
    Melanie
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #11
    :-)
    I checked out your site and found it to be both tastefully done and informative along with quite a brave thing to do! I too had a young child (my next door neighbor) who would come to my door and want me to come outside to visit with her. I was a stage 4 cancer patient at the time and so enjoyed the energy and love this 3 year old brought to me. She knew something was wrong with me but did not know what, she just knew she loved me. She is now 13 and comes over regularly, the other day she came over to tell me "she started" then a few day's later she came by to show me her "new older girl haircut". She knows I have been quite ill several times and she knows we have a bond. I am glad you have this little spite in your life and I am glad you care enough for her to create the paper dolls. I am betting years from now you too will have a special bond with this sweet friend you have made.

    Hugs,

    RE
  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #12
    I looked at your site and
    I looked at your site and you are very talented. Actually I made paper dolls for the girls next door when I was going through chemo. Not like yours tho. Yours are better. Hope things work out for you. I always loved paper dolls when I was little.

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