A heartbroken mother has immortalised her son as a life-like baby doll after he died of cancer – aged 39.
The Mirror reports…
Betty Bading, 65, who lives in Tasmania, Australia, was in her mid-twenties when she was introduced to the art of porcelain doll making.
She had amassed an impressive collection of 30 hand-painted dolls, but a devastating house fire destroyed most of her work.
It was not until two years ago, when her son Greg was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma that she rekindled her love of dolls.
In a lasting tribute to Greg who died in June, Betty ordered a Reborn Doll to look like her son as a baby so she can hold onto him whenever she wants.
Betty said: “My husband and I were living with Greg when he was going through treatment.
“I had just finished my own treatment from breast cancer and had a stroke, so I wasn’t feeling like myself.
“Greg said, ‘why don’t you start doing your dolls again? Do something that gives you pleasure’.
“That’s when I was introduced to Reborn Dolls. They look just like human babies and you can have them custom-made to resemble loved ones.
“I ordered one to look like Greg when he was a baby and when he saw it he said, ‘wowzers!’
“Now that he’s gone, I love having his doll around. It’s very soft and huggable.”