About A Friend Like Me

My name is Adrienne J. Ferguson. In 1984, when I was just six (6) years old, I was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus which is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the brain; also known as Water on the Brain. I had to spend months in the hospital and there were times when I had to stay in my bed, because I was too sick to get up, but I wanted so badly to play with the other children in the hospital, children that were running up and down the hallways, and going in and out of each other’s rooms. I was in the hospital on three separate occasion as a child, having my shunt replaced each time. Every time I was re-admitted, the stays became longer and longer. I even remember spending Halloween in there and I was so miserable.

On April 8, 2014, as an adult, I had to have emergency surgery and my shunt had to be replaced again. While I was at home recovering, I went through a really bad stage of depression and I would pray to God constantly asking “Why Me?” After many prayers, and thinking back to most of my childhood being spent in the hospital, something woke me up in the middle of the night and I suddenly had the idea that I wanted to make dolls for children who were just like me….. Children who were sick, going through an illness that either no one else could understand or had to be hospitalized and at times, could not play with the other children. Why can we not have a friend that was just like us, a friend that we could hold on to, a friend that could be with us, a friend that would always be there when we felt all alone? I wanted to make dolls not just for children with an illness or a disorder, but also inspirational dolls. Dolls for children that were victims of bullying, dolls for children that were teased because of the color of their skin, dolls for children that were mocked because of the texture of their hair, dolls for children that were made to feel they were less than, for whatever reason.

I would like to cover dolls for everything from Cancer, Leukemia, Hydrocephalus, HIV, Autism, Lupus, Sickle Cell Anemia, Dwarfism, Down Syndrome, Cleft Lip, Stuttering, etc. I would not turn anyone away because I know how it feels to feel different or to be all alone. Each doll will have an inspirational t-shirt made especially for them and the child can have that same t-shirt to wear along with their new friend. Regardless of where your child is, or what your child is going through, your child will be happy to have “A Friend Like Me”.