CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Corpus Christi couple who has spent months getting Type 1 diabetes Barbie dolls into the hands of children living with the disease say they've hit a major breakthrough of their own.
John and Cheryl Navar, who run the Breakthrough Barbie Bonanza, announced this week that they've connected with a Mattel distributor who has up to 10,000 of the dolls available at $11.50 each. The couple has launched a GoFundMe campaign to fund the purchase and distribution.
KRIS 6 first introduced viewers to the Navars last October, when John launched a campaign to collect the dolls for young patients at Driscoll Children's Hospital, where Cheryl works as a pediatric diabetic educator.
The dolls — part of Mattel's Fashionistas line — feature a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump, the same devices many children with Type 1 diabetes wear every day.
What started with a social media post and a living room full of donated Barbies quickly grew. By the time the couple delivered their first 100 dolls to Driscoll Children's Hospital, the community had already donated more than $15,000.
John Navar recalled watching a 3-year-old who had just been diagnosed receive one of the dolls that day.
"Seeing the overwhelming look of joy on her face. At three years old, she just sat staring at this doll for like five minutes as we watched," Navar told KRIS 6 at the time.
The effort expanded to children's hospitals in six states by November, when the Navars showed up to a local Type 1 diabetes Friendsgiving event dressed as Barbie and Ken — arriving in a donated pink Hummer loaded with dolls.
Since then, the couple said they have purchased and distributed more than 2,500 dolls to pediatric diabetes programs nationwide. But finding enough inventory became their biggest obstacle — until now.
Those who want to help can visit the couple's GoFundMe page or follow their progress on Instagram.
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