Patricia Garnett is known in her community as “the doll lady,” and is often bullied when people do not know her story. She suffered brain damage as a baby and has lived with a caretaker all of her life. She was raped by her father as a child and became pregnant. She gave her son up for adoption and has never met him. Now 45, Patricia cares for her doll, Michael, among others as if they were real babies as a way to cope with trauma and the loss of her son.

Patricia brings her doll Michael for a walk to the corner store. She said she never feels lonely when she has one of her dolls with her.

Patricia rides the bus as a way to relax. She knows all of the bus drivers in the city and is very proud that all of the drivers know her name.

Patricia writes a letter to her son asking him to come visit her. “I write my son letter all the time but I never know where to send them,” she said. Her son was supposed to meet Patricia when he turned 18, a moment she had looked forward to for years. He is now in his 20s and she has still never met him.

Patricia brings her doll to the park near her caretaker’s house.

Patricia gives her doll Michael a bath in the sink of her caretaker’s home. Her caretaker says she treats her dolls better than many people treat their real babies.

Patricia feeds her caretaker’s baby, Dominick. She loves having a real baby in the house and refers to him as her “little brother.”

Patricia dresses Dominick in new clothes after returning from Walmart. She spends most of her money buying new clothes for her dolls.