Those who know the story of Madeline, know that she had a scar from an appendectomy that she was very proud of. The Madeline doll bears that same scar. But Sarah’s Madeline doll has had an additional surgery. About 5 years ago, Madeline had a serious thinning of the fabric of her scalp. It was clear that a graft was needed. The only question was who would perform this delicate surgery.
It really didn’t take Sarah long to choose Madeline’s surgeon. Peter and I were quickly eliminated from consideration - too great a chance that we would botch it up. She could ask Pat, but that might mean handing over Madeline and maybe even being without her for a night – out of the question. Emma was the obvious choice.
Emma gladly accepted the job and took it very seriously. She combed through her fabric scraps and found some red fabric that pretty closely matched the color of Madeline’s scalp. She cut a square that was just the right size and neatly folded down the edges so that the patch wouldn’t fray. Then she stitched it to Madeline’s head with tiny, precise stitches. It was perfect.
I love to look at that patch on Madeline’s head because it tells a love story. A story of the trust one sister placed in the other. A story of the care one sister took to do something just right because she knew how much it mattered to the other. Madeline has always been important to Sarah, but now I am guessing she is even more so – a gift from a precious sister, with a patch that symbolizes the love they shared for each other.
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