Up next, a young lady who was born with a heart defect wants to have a doll just like her. The girl is asking a major doll manufacturer to start making it.
Sarah Rosario reports from Pasco County, Florida.
--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--
(Lamaya Sakales, Heart Patient): "I want to make girls feels secure. They don't have to be afraid with a scar and kids won't be so mean"
LAMAYA SAKALES MAY ONLY BE 10-YEAR- OLD BUT SHE HAS WISDOM BEYOND HER YEARS.
SHE WAS BORN WITH HALF A HEART... AND HAS ALREADY HAD THREE OPEN HEART SURGERIES.
SHE'S CALLING ON THE AMERICAN GIRL DOLL COMPANY, WITH A HISTORY OF EMBRACING DIVERSITY, TO MAKE A DOLL WITH A CHEST SCAR FOR HER AND HUNDREDS OF OTHERS LIKE HER.
(Christen Sakales, Lamaya's Mother): "One out of every 100 babies are born with congenital heart defects, so that's a lot of children who have a scar from that."
STARTING THIS CHANGE DOT ORG PETITION LAMAYA AND HER MOM CHRISTEN ALREADY HAVE 16- HUNDRED SIGNATURES IN LESS THAN A WEEK.
(Christen Sakales, Lamaya's Mother): "I would say that 90-percent of the signatures are from other congenital heart defect families and people who would like to see that doll made for their kids."
JUST LAST WEEK THE POPULAR BRAND STARTED SELLING A DOLL WITH A DIABETIC KIT.
ALL THANKS TO THIS 11-YEAR-OLD IN WISCONSIN GETTING MORE THAN FOUR-THOUSAND SIGNATURES ON HER PETITION.
LAMAYA HOPES HERS WILL DO THE SAME.
(Lamaya Sakales, Heart Surgery Patient): "If they're feeling overwhelmed they can look at their dolls chest scars and feel like they're awesome, they're brave, they're cool"
WHILE LAMAYA LOVES HER AMERICAN DOLLS, SHE SAYS ITS TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW AND HOPES THE DOLL MAKER WILL MAKE HER WISH COME TRUE.
SARAH ROSARIO ABC ACTION NEWS.
The number of supporters on Lamaya's change.org petition continues to grow. At last check it was more than 4,400.
Change.org is a website where users can create and sign petitions for various causes, such as Lamaya's. We'll have a link to her change.org page on our website if you want to learn more. But note -- if you're under 13, you'll need a parent or guardian's help.
Instructional Links
Website: Change.org, About