Customized doll helps Minnesota girl feel like she belongs

Many little girls have a favorite doll, but the reason 7-year-old Mari from Dakota County loves her customized American Girl Doll, named Isabelle, is pretty extraordinary.

"Isabelle is my very, very favorite," she said.

"Having that doll helps her feel like this is a little more normal," Josh, her dad, said.

Mari has a condition called brachsyndactyly, meaning she was born missing most of the fingers on her right hand.

Over the years, her team at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare has made a variety of prosthetics for her for different purposes. They even made one specifically for Mari’s mountain bike handles.

But that’s not all.

They went above and beyond and created a specialized "American Girl" doll that looks just like her, right down to the doll’s right hand. Her specialists thought the doll would help so that Mari didn’t feel so different.

"For something to look just like her, that’s just so powerful," Michelle Hall, the Prosthetic Team Lead at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, said. "She’s not alone. As a girl growing up, that is hugely powerful."

The team at Gillette makes about 70 devices each year for Twin Cities patients. Their prosthetics have helped kids do everything from swimming to skiing to even being able to walk in high heels.