The kindness of strangers gave comfort a a 5-year-old girl who has spent the last three months batting leukemia.
Elsa Wiemerslage is about to start her third round of chemotherapy.
By her side is now a doll that looks just like her.
This doll didn’t come from friends or family, it was the work of complete strangers.
"She’s being thought of for special things," Adrienne Wiermerslage, Elsa’s mother, said. "It gives her a little bit of the childhood she’s missing."
Melissa Hanstein, who works for a local cancer organization, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for dolls. Within 24 hours, she had doubled her goal.
American Girl Doll then heard about the effort on social media and donated five dolls. The money raised by Hanstein will go toward more dolls in the future.
"It’s a special way to make the journey a little easier," Hanstein said.
When Elsa goes into remission, she will be able to take her doll to American Girl and pick out her hairstyle.
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