A grandad with vitiligo has been crafting crochet dolls for children with the same condition for years to help boost their self-esteem.
João Stanganelli, from Brazil, took up crocheting after retiring from working in the food industry. Diagnosed with the skin condition at 38, Stanganelli’s first vitiligo-patterned doll, featuring depigmented patches, was created for his granddaughter.
Vitiligo is a condition that causes permanent white patches of skin to appear on the body due to a lack of the pigment melanin.
Creative crochet
Since the creation of his first doll, Stanganelli has produced hundreds more for other children, representing vitiligo and other conditions, including alopecia.
His Instagram page, followed by almost 30,000 people, showcases numerous crochet projects, including nativity scenes, animals, and even crocheted doll clothes based on Disney films like Snow White.
While Stanganelli doesn’t sell the dolls he makes for profit, his Amigaruma da Lena Facebook page shows various crochet creations that have been made and shipped to children around the world.
“I present to you several types of crochet pieces here on the page. I am available to make different things, and I also work on orders,” reads the page’s description.
Anyone interested in commissioning Stanganelli’s work can do so through his Facebook page.