Dainy Sawatzky, 51, Inverloch, Vic.
Pushing the plate away, I felt the familiar tightening in my chest.
“I don’t want dinner,” I whispered.
My palms were sweating and I struggled to breathe.
My mum Bette, 32, got up from the table and walked around to where I was sitting.
“You’re going to be ok, just breathe,” she said.
I was eight years old and having a panic attack.
Aged 8, I started experiencing panic attacks
(Image: Supplied).Ever since I was four and vomited in my bed one night, I’d developed emetophobia – a fear of being sick.
My dad, Volker, suffered from it, too.
Eating was a challenge, as I worried I’d vomit afterwards.
To help take my mind off it, Mum got me into drawing and sewing.
I also had a beloved ragdoll called Polly, who gave me comfort.
But my condition was debilitating.
My beloved ragdoll called Polly gave me comfort
(Image: Supplied).I never went to play dates or sleepovers, too afraid of having an attack.
It wasn’t until I was older and started doing cognitive behaviour therapy, I learnt strategies to cope.
In time, I got married and had two kids, Scout, 17, and Rhyder, 15.
I worried they’d suffer from anxiety too, and sadly, they did.
In 2011, I made a ragdoll for Scout, for Christmas, just like the one I’d had growing up, hoping it would help her.
My kids Scout, 17, and Rhyder, 15, also suffer from anxiety
(Image: Supplied).She loved it, and I enjoyed making it so much, I started designing more.
Then in 2017, I turned my dolls into a business, called The Wish Pixies, aimed at helping anxious children.
I designed 12 pixie ragdolls, small enough to fit in a child’s pocket or under their pillow.
I gave each of the pixies a special trait like self-respect, gratitude or positivity, and wrote a story explaining the meaning of that word.
Then, in a pocket placed on the back of the pixie, I included a magic spell, to help the child achieve that particular trait.
I created The Wish Pixies to help other anxious kids
(Image: Supplied).I created an Instagram account and a website and the pixies, literally, flew off the shelves.
I sold 6000 last year alone.
I’ve had so many messages from parents, telling me how my pixies have helped their children, which have made me cry.
Creating them has been the best thing I’ve ever done.
Do you have a heart-warming story? If so, get in touch. We pay cash! Contact: Take5@aremedia.com.au
