Dolls, wars and mental health. Something personal. Too much oversharing.

I was born in 1984 and spent my childhood and youth in Ukraine, Cherkasy, where my mom still lives, and my dad is in Kherson region, just google it.

Irina Lemeshinsky. Ukrainian Israeli. Totootse dolls creator .

I now live in Haifa, Israel, with my children, husband, and dogs.

my daughter Noa Miriam and my lab Nemo

Both of my countries are fighting against terrorism, defending the entire world.

When Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, I almost ceased to exist.

I couldn’t understand how one could continue making dolls during a war. This work requires inspiration, inner harmony, and a desire to bring joy to people.

I lost all of that for two years.

24.02.2022 Noa is crying because russians already captured her grandfather

I hit rock bottom, went through severe depression with suicidal thoughts, experienced betrayal by close people, and went through all stages of grief first with Ukraine, then with Israel.

I pushed off from the bottom and in the spring of 2024, I began my journey back to the surface of the ocean called life.

This coincided with receiving an ADHD diagnosis (I will write more about this later, as it is an interesting topic in the context of a creative profession). Thanks to a psychiatrist who prescribed the right treatment, psychotherapy, books of Viktor Frankl, my love for life, and my resilience to rise and start anew each time, this struggle has gained many new meanings. It will continue throughout my life, but I am happy to be here with you.

I wanted to write my first blog post about how I started making dolls and why I chose to create these specific ones, but it turned into a disclaimer post.

This is probably my ADHD again🤪