Today we’d like to introduce you to Ally Doucette
Hi Ally, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story starts at 13 years old, when I woke up one morning with immense pain and my finger joints “locked”. I couldn’t move them and as the weeks progressed, so did my pain as it spread throughout my hands and knees. After becoming a patient at The Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, MN I was told I had an unknown autoimmune disease with arthritis as a side effect. Over my teenage years the arthritis would continue to spread to every single one of my joints. I underwent Methotrexate, a form of chemotherapy, to stop my immune system from attacking itself which included 3 self injections a week. It was a scary and unpredictable time. As of today, I am a patient at Mayo in Rochester, MN to continue my diagnosis journey. I am currently taking a Lupus medication to help with the pain and have felt great since. We are 12 years into this journey and still don’t have answers, just that it could be some form of Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease or Lupus.
When I was 15 years old, I created the now 501(C)3 Non Profit called Allyhoo. It not only was a great distraction from my current battles, but my goal was to help other kids in the hospital that are scared just like I am.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is life ever really a smooth road? No, naturally there were many struggles and obstacles I had to face. For starters, I am highly introverted and have always struggled with social anxiety – which is not a great mix for someone who has to talk to a lot of people a lot of the time! Otherwise, the biggest struggles were just learning as I went. There’s still a lot I am learning today and fixing mistakes for things I had no idea were mistakes! I’m incredibly fortunate to have so many family and friends who have supported myself and the slow growth of Allyhoo.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Allyhoos are handmade animal shaped pillows that are made as a twin set. When one twin is purchased, the identical twin is donated to kids in hospitals in the customers name! To date we have donated over 2,000 Allyhoos. We currently donate to The Children’s Hospital of St. Paul and Minneapolis, St. Francis Urgent Care in Shakopee and Medtronic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. We just made our first out of state donation this April to The Women’s Hospital and HCA Healthcare in Houston, TX.
Something that sets us apart from others is the fact that everything we make is 100% unique to just the twin set. We never make the exact pair again as our goal is to form a connection between a child in the hospital and a donor outside the hospital with a gift no one else has!
One of the things I am most proud of is my team. Allyhoo wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for both my past and current team members and volunteers. I love that we have formed a small community where people are comfortable and are able to use their creativity in helping others.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid-19 hit shortly before we opened our physical shop in downtown Shakopee. Before then, everything was run out of my apartment at the time. I wouldn’t say we had any specific challenges with Covid-19, besides the obvious of staying healthy and protecting ourselves and loved ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allyhoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AllyhooMN
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllyhooMN
