LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — The loss of a child can be one of the hardest things a parent can experience, but one local woman's new business is hoping to help offer emotional support.
"Sometimes when I'm in a sad mood, I can just look at him and think I'm still a proud mom."
Romesha Franklin is a mother and reborn artist.
To understand, you'd have to know Franklin's journey in the last seven years.
She says her high-risk pregnancy led to losing her daughter, 18 days after being born.
"You never know how it really changes a person and a lot has changed for me."
Now, she has a son, E'mari. However, she says he isn't just any baby. He's a reborn.
This year, Franklin started her own business making reborn babies.
With special attention to the smallest of details, like skin tone and tiny veins, she says it takes days to hand-paint each one, from head to toe.
Franklin shares the process of her work on her YouTube page, here.
She says grieving mothers supply every personal details of their reborn, so they can use it for comfort and emotional support.
"To get those types of results already and I just started, I amaze myself."
Although the word doll doesn't fit her craft of making reborn babies, it's similar to a method used for years with dementia patients.
"This is something I can do and that I can put my focus into. Not just to take my focus off of sadness, but also to bring happiness to other people. Just help them with the same things that I'm going through."
A new sense of purpose for Franklin by delivering reborns and restoring hope.
To find more information on her website, click here.
