Toddler Who Is Unable To Cuddle Baby Brother Because Of Series Of Surgeries, Hugs Doll Of Him (Photos)

A little girl who desperately wants to give her baby brother a cuddle has to make do with tenderly taking care of a replica doll of him, while he recovers from a heart transplant.

Nora Dolan, 2, carries the doll of “baby Henry” with her everywhere, having never been able to hug her brother after he was born six months ago.

Baby Henry was born 12 weeks early and was diagnosed with two serious heart conditions. He has been very unwell and his sisters, who desperately want to hug him, have to wait until he comes home.

He needed life-saving surgery in order to survive and is now recovering.

Nora is staying at home with her older sister Ava, while their mum is with baby Henry in hospital. As they can’t be with him, the sisters were given a specially made doll which has tubes attached and a wire fixed to its chest.

It even has a scar over its heart, and has been named ‘baby Henry’.

Mum Mollie Dolan told the Mirror Online the doll helps her daughters, who are at home in Annandale in Minnesota, US, to deal with their brother’s absence.

Mollie, who live-blogged her baby son’s life-saving heart transplant several weeks ago, said: “My daughters love the doll, especially our youngest daughter Nora.

“She walks around the house calling it her ‘baby Henry’. When she can’t find it, she says, ‘Where’d my baby Henry go?’ It’s so cute.

“As far as coping goes, she doesn’t fully understand things yet, but she knows baby Henry is sick and that he’s in the hospital getting better.”

Nora carries the doll everywhere, speaking to it and often tenderly kissing it on the head.