"If you walk around sad because you have cancer and you lost your hair, it doesn't help you any."

13-year-old Robin Curry is wise beyond her years. She was diagnosed with a form of ovarian cancer last year that stripped her of her ability to walk.

But Robin's more than a survivor -- she's an inspiration who's learned to walk again.

"You can't just go around the whole time being sad. So I always tried to find the bright side even when it seemed like there was no bright side."

And that's no easy feat for a young teen who's, not only battling cancer, but also losing her hair to chemotherapy.

"You have to just find ways to make yourself feel better, like what makes you happy as a person," Robin says.

One of the ways the doctors and specialists at LSU Health Shreveport give children to cope with losing their hair is a simple concept - a doll.

"We actually use Barbies with hair to let the kids cut the hair off as their hair falls out," explains Child Life Specialist Amanda Hays.

Hays worked closely with Robin throughout her journey and says using the Barbies is an essential emotional outlet for kids who are losing their hair.

"It gives them back that sense of control. It lets them do what's going to happen to them or what is happening. They are able to do that to something else."

For Robin, the idea of a Barbie with no hair is an more than just a doll. It's also a way to heal.

"You have to feel better about yourself, not only to get better, but to just be happier."

And her words of advice bring everything back into perspective.

"I'd rather lose my hair than lose my life."

Mattel, the maker of Barbie, announced earlier this year that it will produce a bald doll for children who've lost their hair due to illness or cancer.

Mattel says the doll would be distributed exclusively to children's hospitals and other hospitals that treat children with cancer in the U.S. and Canada.