Bev Roberts was trapped in her own home by her crippling anxiety which made her too afraid to go out.
The 48-year-old suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread pain, and her ankle joints have fused.
Bev, from Liverpool, has also recently split up from her husband, Bill, 71,
She started using a wheelchair 10 years ago and was then struck down by debilitating anxiety and panic attacks which made it impossible for her to go out.
Bev said: "I was basically trapped in my own home. If it wasn’t for Bill, I couldn’t have coped. He had to help me with everything.
"Just going for a hospital appointment was a huge ordeal."
But then two years ago Bev saw an advert for reborn dolls and decided to treat herself.
Buying doll, Chloe, for £250 completely changed her life.
Bev said: "I didn’t for a minute think they would be therapeutic, I just wanted one because they looked cuddly.
Lisa, the stall-holder, was really patient and kind towards me and she helped me take my time to find the doll that suited me the best.
"The moment I held her, she was just like a real baby. I had a feeling of security and warmth, she made me feel totally at peace.
"And from there, it was all about her, not me. I wanted to take her out and show her off. Through her, I very slowly began to conquer my fear of going outside."
Since buying Chloe, Bev has added to her collection of life like dolls.
She now owns Ryan, Angelo, Corey, Pennie-Sui, Lydia, Lucy-Mai, Rochelle, Navaya-Rose, Freya and Maisie-Leigh.
Bev even has a reborn doll dog called Bobby.
She has also bought prams, slings, Moses baskets, baby bouncer seats, baby clothes, dummies and toys.
Her collection has cost her more than £5,000 and she sometimes goes without to spoil her dolls.
Bev says: "It is a lot of money for someone like me, I am in a wheelchair, I can’t work, and I don’t have a lot of cash.
"But to me, my babies are the most important thing in the world. They have given me back my life.
"I no longer suffer with anxiety or panic. I really feel as though they have cured me.
"I can now leave the house, each day, without even worrying. As long as I have a baby in a sling, or in a pram, I feel confident and I feel safe.
"I take a different baby depending on where I’m going. If I go for a hospital check-up, I always take a sleeping baby, and the nurses pass it around for cuddles. They love it."
But there has been some negative reaction to Bev and her dolls.
She said: "A lot of people presume the babies are real and they will lean over to make them smile. It’s only then that they realise.
"Most people are really encouraging and sweet.
"One woman told me they didn’t think it was good for people’s mental health – but little did she know that actually these dolls have fixed my mental health. I don’t know where I would be without them."
And for the first time in years Bev is looking forward to Christmas thanks to her doll collection.
She said: "My reborn babies are definitely better dressed than me. I adore buying them clothes, especially little Santa outfits.
"For years I never enjoyed Christmas because of my anxiety. I never really celebrated it until now at all.
"Now, I have my life back and I will celebrate every minute of the festive season – thanks to my dolls.
"This Christmas, I really plan to spoil my babies and celebrate in style. I’ve already bought little outfits and I will buy toys and blankets to top up their Christmas stockings."
