Medical device dolls by Lake Macquarie business attracts global attention
A family owned Lake Macquarie business, Just Like You Dolls, is bringing diversity into the toy industry and has created dolls with medical devices that are being sold around the world to children.
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Lake Macquarie’s Bella Chislett was born with ‘moderate to profound’ hearing loss in 2012.
She required cochlear implants from just nine months of age.
Bella knows she is different to other kids, but a new doll made by her parents fitted with a plastic Cochlear implant has not only impressed the seven-year-old but taken the world by storm.
Dad Josh Chislett said it all started when Bella took a liking to a doll while at her speech therapists’ office.
“They had a doll with plastic cochlear implants on it and my daughter really loved it,” he said.
“We knew a relatable doll would help Bella to understand her devices better and help with device compliance. It would help her with self-confidence and feeling included within her community.
“We decided to take it off that doll and rip it apart and we ended up with a cochlear on a doll that our daughter really loved.
“She took that to her therapy play group with other kids who also had disabilities and one of the other girls in the group fell in love with the doll, and come home time didn’t want to give it back to Bella.”
With nothing suitable on the market, the idea for the company — Just Like You Dolls — was born.
“From there we decided there was definitely a gap in the market and we decided to do something about it,” Mr Chislett said.
“We were just on Facebook and an outlet in America and the UK featured our story and it just went gangbusters from there.
“Last Christmas was an incredible experience for us, we had people all over the world messaging us and buying our product, sharing our page and shipping to the US, UK, Canada, China and New Zealand.
“It really took off and people are really pleased with the service that we’ve taken to the market.”
Just Like You Dolls don’t just make dolls with cochlear implants, they do a range of medical devices.
“We’ve made gastronomy tubes, insulin pumps for diabetes so we can really customise it,” explained Mr Chislett.
The idea also earned Bella’s mum, Jade, a Lake Macquarie Business Excellence award for her entrepreneurial inspiration.
The dolls help children to develop imagination, creativity, social skills and empathy, but a relatable doll promotes inclusion, reduces loneliness, is a best friend to take to procedures, promotes device compliance and care and builds self-confidence.
For more information on the dolls head to their website HERE.
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