BATH, England — A little Bath, England, girl is overjoyed at a special doll that closely resembles her.
Harmonie-Rose Ivy Allen, 2, is a quadruple amputee.
At 11 months old, Harmonie contracted meningitis B, which she survived despite doctors giving her a chance of survival of less than 10 percent.
But her mother, Freya Hall, told ABC News Harmonie's arms and legs had to be amputated 10 days after she began walking. She also lost the tip of her nose.
What followed were numerous hospital trips for over 10 operations, according to a website run by Hall.
"The doctors were unsure what her future would be like and if there was any brain damage, but right now Harmonie seems to show no brain damage," Hall said.
After a visit to the hospital July 31 for an operation, her mother decided to give her an early present ahead of her daughter's third birthday in November: an American Girl doll named Rebecca who, like Harmonie, is a quadruple amputee.
"She just said, 'Mommy, she's just like me,'" Hall, told ABC News. "She loves to take the arms and the legs off and they love to sit next to each other without the prosthetics on."
Hall said she arranged for a friend in New York to get the doll and bring it back to England.
Hall hopes that Rebecca will help her daughter no longer see her legs as a hindrance and more as a helpful thing.
"Harmonie has never seen another quadruple amputee, so it's amazing to show her that she's not the only one," Hall said. "I'm hoping it will encourage her to go on her prosthetic legs a little more too."
Posted by Hope 4 Harmonie on Monday, August 1, 2016
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