BARBIE - She is one of the most iconic dolls in history. She is known for great fashion, fabulous friends, and the most attractive boyfriends. Her accessories are endless and include some of the very best hats and shoes to cars and mansions. She is not only admired by young girls, but women of all ages. Yes, Barbie has it all.



Or does she? Barbie, the infamous material girl, may soon be getting a well needed make-over.

Mothers Beckie, California, and Jane, New Jersey, know the impact of cancer all too well. As a result, they are determined to show a different side of Barbie, one that is beautifully bald. Their Facebook page named Beautiful and Bald Barbie documents their progress, and supporters that total almost 150,000 "likes" since December, 2011. Their goal is to create awareness for childhood cancer, as well as other illnesses impacting children such as alopecia. 

They hope that with the help of a doll, children will also feel beautiful when bald.

According to the American Childhood Cancer Association each year 12,400 children between the ages of birth and 19 years will be diagnosed with cancer. Of those, over 2,500 will die from cancer. In fact, childhood cancer is the number one cause of death in children and adolescents in America.

As like lung cancer, childhood cancer is a topic that is rarely spoken about. Jane, who suffers from Hodgkin's Lymphoma, has also felt the impact of lung cancer. Jane's aunt had been diagnosed with the disease years before. At the time of her aunt's diagnosis, surgery was not an option, and chemotherapy was conducted without success. Jane's aunt was in her early 60's when she passed away from lung cancer. It was only 6 months after her diagnosis. Jane's aunt never smoked.

Jane was diagnosed only months after her aunt's death. Her diagnosis was a powerful motivator to her involvement in the Beautiful and Bald Barbie campaign. According to Jane, it is also a campaign that her aunt would have been a strong supporter of.

The most beautiful doll to reach the market is well on its way, because Bratz and Moxie Girlz will be introducing their line of beautifully bald dolls coming in June! The dolls will be introduced with a new name, "True Hope". Of course, none of this would have been possible without Beckie and Jane.

It is a tremendous achievement in their fight for the right to beauty.

$1 of every box sold from "True Hope" Bratz and "True Hope" Moxie Girlz will benefit City of Hope Children's Hospital. Toys R Us will be the first to sell the dolls beginning in June, which will include both female and male versions.

Jane's long-term hope is that these dolls will not only be for children, but for anyone impacted by an illnesses that resulted in hair loss. Furthermore, she believes the dolls will give a "sense of power" to those impacted. Also, Jane hopes that their Facebook page Beautiful and Bald Barbie will become a globally known community.

Thank you Jane, I feel honored to have spoken to such an inspirational person.