Addy Walker's American Girl Hospital Visit

Addy suffered from silver eye disease in her left eye caused by the inner eye decal detaching from the eye.

During my American Girl Addy's participation in the First Annual Addy Hair Show in early August, I discovered she suffered from silver eye disease.  Addy's eye was given a temporary fix using a brown Sharpie marker to color over the exposed silver area. Blog reader, Greytone, shared her experience of sending her silver eye-diseased doll to the American Girl Hospital where it was repaired free of charge because this is a manufacturer's flaw.

Faced with the dilemma of whether or not to send my doll in for eye replacement or not (because I wanted her wig replaced as well, but only if AG could replace it with the same texture as the original wig), I contacted AG by email to see how they would handle this.  My email was not answered promptly, so I called and was told to go to the AG website and download the hospital admission form.  I did this but there were only two options that met my needs:  a new head, which in Addy's case would probably mean the hair texture would be different, or new eyes only.  My initial email inquiry was eventually answered as follows:

Dear Ms. Garrett,
We are sorry to learn that your Addy doll is in need of repair.
Regretfully, our Doll Hospital staff is unable to replace just the wigs  To ensure the wig will not come off, our doll manufacturer applies permanent glue.  To remove the wig would be very difficult and could result in damaging the doll's head.  If there is a problem with the hair, the entire head must be replaced. A head replacement includes a new set of eyes as well.
 The cost for a head replacement is $44.00 plus $7.95 for the return shipping and processing, and sales tax where applicable.  Included with the repair service, at no additional cost to you, is a Wellness Visit valued at $28.00.  Addy's skin will be cleaned, and she will return home in a hospital gown along with other special items.
 Information about our Doll Hospital, including a link to the Admission Form, can be found on our website.  Please click on the link below and scroll down to "How to admit an American Girl doll."
 http://www.americangirl.com/shop/doll-hospital We suggest that you ship your doll via UPS, FedEx, or insured mail.  Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for repairs, depending on volume.
 Should you require additional information, please call us at the toll-free number listed below.  One of our associates will be happy to assist you.

Sincerely,
American Girl Customer Service 

After deciding I would get the eyes replaced only, I wrote back to inquire if I would be charged for this since this is a manufacturer's flaw.  Their reply was, "If, after examining your doll, the doctors conclude that this eye problem is a company-based issue, your doll will be fully repaired free of charge."

Addy was undressed and her hair ribbons and barrettes were removed to prepare her for a trip to the American Girl Doll Hospital.

I filled out the admission form requesting new eyes with a comment requesting a charge adjustment if it was determined the eye condition was a company-based issue.  Addy was next boxed up along with the admission form, and shipped to the hospital by insured mail on August 21, 2017.

Bubble wrapped and boxed up, Addy was ready for her trip to the American Girl Doll Hospital in Middleton, Wisconsin.

Undoubtedly, there are thousands of American Girl doll patients because Addy was not officially admitted until September 13, 2017, which is the date American Girl sent an email notification with the subject line, "Your American Girl Doll Has Been Admitted."



After being admitted, the little patient must have received immediate attention.  She was treated and discharged within 48 hours or less because she arrived back home on September 20, 2017.

Addy was returned in a white doll box, the side of which contains instructions to  "Care for Your Doll."

Addy remained in the return box until I was able to take out-of-box photos.

Close-up of Addy's new eyes in a photo taken after I removed the bangs I had given her several years ago.

In addition to new eyes, courtesy of American Girl, Addy's skin was cleaned and her hair brushed and restyled in a French braid.

Addy's French braid courtesy of American Girl

As seen in the first photo of this post, several years ago I had given Addy bangs using added hair cut from a curly doll wig.  A strand of  her bangs fell off at the hospital, which Dr. D. enclosed in a tiny zippered baggie and placed inside Addy's return box.  After she returned home, I removed the rest of her bangs and the residual glue.  Soon, I plan to do something special to her wig which will be shared in a followup post.


In addition to the bagged strand of hair (which now contains all of Addy's former bangs), Addy returned with a Certificate of Good Health and a "Get Well Soon" card from the folks at American Girl.

Addy's hospital gown is a white cotton print with pink flowers, butterflies, and bandages.

The American Girl Hospital logo is on the front of the gown.

Addy's ID bracelet reads:  American Girl Doll Hospital.

A heart accents the sides of her white socks.

With all the attention Addy Walker received during her hospital stay, she refused to take off her hospital gown, hospital ID bracelet, and warm socks  She thinks the pampering should continue here, so I have decided to allow her to feel like a patient a bit longer, at least until her wig restyling is completed.

Thank you again blog reader, Greytone, for sharing your experience with the American Girl Doll Hospital.  Had you not done so, and had Julius not also commented about the eye condition being a manufacturer's flaw covered by AG, Addy would still be suffering from silver eye disease masked by brown Sharpie ink.

Thank you also to Cathy Runnels, administrator of the American Girl Addy Collectors Facebook group, for organizing the First Annual Addy Hair Show and for allowing me to share the photo video of the Addy participants, which can be viewed below.



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