Bella Fricker is just like any other nine-year-old, 3rd grade student who loves to play with American Girl dolls. What sets her apart, however, is her incredible generosity and selflessness.
Over the years, four children in the Fricker family’s community were diagnosed with cancer. Their illnesses “really left an impression on [Bella],” her mom, Valerie said. Valerie herself had been personally involved in the local fundraising efforts to raise money for these families and the community in the past.
In October 2016, Bella suddenly decided that she wanted to follow in her mom’s footsteps and contribute to the community as well. She decided that she would make and sell bracelets, not just for the community, but specifically for the purpose of buying special American Girl dolls for the girls who had gotten ill.
Bella works out of her playroom at home, making handmade bracelets and “blind bags” that she sells for anywhere between $3 and $15. The proceeds from her jewelry sales then go directly into purchasing an American Girl doll to donate.
Her bracelet-making efforts have gathered so much speed that she’s even created a Facebook page, Peace. Love. Bracelets., to share about her donation progress.
Thus far, Bella has purchased six different dolls and donated four of them. And these dolls aren’t just the generic dolls that the American Girl company sells.
Bella specifically purchases these dolls from the company’s “Truly Me” line, that is designed for children who are suffering from cancer or other conditions that cause hair loss. Each of the dolls comes without any hair and can have their features customized to match the appearance of the doll owner.
If the doll’s owner later wants her doll to have hair, the company will happily arrange to do this, free of charge.
Before donation, Bella also dresses each of the dolls in a special hospital gown. In order for her to make this happen, Bella has to find and purchase a doll hospital gown elsewhere; American Girl only provides hospital gowns after dolls have been sent to their doll hospital.
Generous community members have been attempting to donate and contribute their own dolls’ hospital gowns to help Bella out.
Along with the hospital gown, Bella also arranges to have each of the dolls come with a personalized outfit. If the patient enjoys playing softball, Bella will purchase a softball outfit for the doll as well. Valerie added, “[Bella] also likes to get them a coloring book, crayons, and a bracelet making set, so they have something to do during chemotherapy or hospital stays.”
No one, not even Valerie, is quite sure how Bella came to be this passionate about donating to cancer patients. “I think she has just taken her love and passion for American Girl dolls and turned it into her passion with wanting to make little girls feel happy when they’re in the hospital and have lost their hair,” Valerie said.
Bella’s current goal is to donate 15 dolls to children at CHOA. After that, she’d like to donate another 20 to St. Jude’s, and maybe even work with Build-A-Bear to donate other stuffed animals to cancer patients as well.
“I hope I get enough money to buy a lot of dolls and give them to other hospitals around the county,” Bella said.
Check out Bella’s Facebook page and help her out by buying a bracelet!
