Woman surprised by kindness trying to sell Raggedy Ann doll


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An Oklahoma mother is going through some hard times and facing cutoff notices from utility companies.

The special needs teacher tried selling an antique doll on Facebook, hoping to catch up on her bills.

FOX23 Anchor Shae Rozzi showed us the response, and it was something she never saw coming.

This antique doll is known to most of us as Raggedy Ann, but to Kelly Cathcart Lewman of Sapulpa, she's now known as her saving grace.

FOX23 spoke to Lewman, "You've had a difficult time."

Lewman replies, "Yes, very much, just trying to make ends meet, my car is behind. I don't know when, I might lose the car. I just struggle to try to keep everything going."

The single mother of two girls went from two jobs to one , and utility cutoff notices are coming in.

Kelly already had her family's cable TV cut off. 

The only thing the family watches in the house is movies. 

She also sold her kitchen table. She was looking for the next way to make money to make the holidays brighter for her family.

That's where Raggedy Ann comes in.. 

Lewman tells us, "I got here when I was about 7 years old at a birthday, a friend of mine's grandmother made it for me.

She's had the doll for 40 years.

"It would have been heartbreaking for me to let her go," Lewman explained.

But it was something she was willing to do.

She posted the doll on the south Tulsa buy, sell, trade Facebook page.

Lewman tells us, "I got one response from one lady that said, 'Do not sell,' and then it just took off from there."

And did it take off, FOX23 went through the posts, from online friends, Amy, Ashlie and Melinda saying " Don't sell her, You'll regret selling it."

One woman asked said she'd pay her not to tell, "I'll give you $5 not to sell her."

More $5 offers, then $20, and as Kelly explained that she needed the money for bills.

Someone went and paid half of her city of Sapulpa water bill.

Then, someone else paid the remaining half and the donations have kept on coming.

Lewman told us, "It was just overwhelming. I did not expect other people to step up."

Touched by their kindness, Kelly met some of those strangers, whom she now considers friends.

As for the Raggedy Ann doll, she got for her seventh birthday, she's staying put and now serves as a special reminder to Kelly.

Of the good people, "There are still good people, good people around. There is. It's just overwhelming," Lewman said.


Kelly told FOX23 once she lands a second job and starts to get ahead she says she will thank all the strangers who helped her by helping someone else in need.

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