A Montreal toymaker is bringing joy to hospitals across the country.
Brenda Katz created her 'Huggles' dolls to help children cope with being bullied, but they are also being used to help tiny patients through tough times.
Katz recently brought a shipment of dolls to the Montreal Shriners Hospital and gave them away to children who were about to or had recently undergone surgery.
"You see the children immediately respond. You see their problems wash away. They're left focusing on this doll the same size as them. It really makes a difference. I love doing it," said Katz.
She created the life-sized dolls years ago to help her son cope with being bullied.
"I created dolls with a puprose," said Katz, while holding a doll that is supposed to help children learn about kindness. "You need these life skills to help kids cope."
Those same attributes are useful in hospitals, where staff use the dolls to help children who need surgery.
Androniki Tsoybariotis, a nurse manager at the Shriners, says the demand is there.
"It helps a lot with dealing with anxiety they can have, some stress, pain management," she said.
Eight-year-old Michael quickly took to a "superhero" version.
For Michael I guess he can associate," said Maria Caruso. "he first thing he said to me is 'his legs are straight' so he says mine are going to be straight too."
Staff say it's also a treat for parents to see their child's eyes light up with joy.
Talking about her four-year-old daughter, Rebecca Linton said "doctor's appointments are her norm" and so getting the giant doll made the visit to the hospital a nicer experience. so spending some time with a
"It's a little bit of attention. It's special, it's playtime."
Katz has promised to donate 1,000 dolls to hospitals across Canada.
