An 83-year old Kentucky woman is spending her days making the lives of sick children a little bit brighter.
Rebecca Herbert is known as “the doll lady.” She spends her days cutting felt and hand-sewing little crafts to give to children at area hospitals.
“This is what I do. It’s my pastime, “ Herbert said.
She got the idea from her late husband. He was a physicist who worked in hospitals, specifically in radiation.
“He said I wish you had made those when I had my little patients. He used to tell me how brave these kids were, “ Herbert explained.
She took those words to heart, and now that he’s gone, she creates dolls and monkeys in his memory to brighten the days of sick children.
“I feel like in some way I’m doing it in honor of my husband you know.”
A decorated Fleming County homemaker, Herbert has donated her handmade creations to hospitals all over Kentucky and even out of state as well.
“I started giving to St. Clair and to Dayton, and then I added Maysville Meadowview.”
As soon as she delivers one batch, she starts on the next, working as fast as her fingers will let her.
“I take them out, I put them here on my table, and I pick the colors. There’s a lot of steps to each one.”
She said there is nothing she would rather do with her time. She crafts while remembering sweet times with her late husband, knowing he lives on through an act of kindness for a child.
“I hope it takes just an ounce of the fright from the child, that’s all I care about.”
This article was written by Claire Crouch for WLEX .
