Marlene Balbach has faced her share of tragedy. But through her life's ups and downs - especially downs - she has remained positive, refusing to look at them as a series of challenges, but instead, seeing them as possibilities.

To encourage others to feel better about themselves and their lives, the Escondido resident has created a simple, homespun doll called P.T., for Possibility Thinker. "I figure if it encourages me, it might encourage others," said Balbach, 58.

Retailing for $42.95, the 22-inch doll bears a resemblance to a modern-day Raggedy Ann or Andy doll, with its hand-embroidered facial features and short black yarn hair. P.T. comes in a choice of three different colored sweatshirts or camouflage gear.

Each doll also has a fabric heart that opens to reveal a message reflecting love or friendship, a holiday or special occasion, or a religious thought. The embroidered hearts are fastened to each doll's sweatshirt with hook-and-loop fasteners and can be easily changed depending on the circumstances. Buyers can order a choice of messages, including "I Love You," "You R Special And Unique," "Welcome To Our World" and "You R My Hero." They are meant to encourage and comfort, Balbach said.

"I don't put myself on a pedestal," Balbach said of her life. "I'm on a journey and that doesn't mean I don't struggle, too."

Growing up in what she calls "a sort of dysfunctional family," she said she was molested by a family relative when she was just 5 but never told her parents until she was in her 40s.

Then, when she was 25, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a progressive degeneration of the nervous system that can result in speech difficulties and loss of muscular coordination.

Divorced at the time and with two young children, the elder just in kindergarten, Balbach remembers occasions when she had to crawl into the house because her legs refused to move, and hospitalizations when everyone, including the doctors, thought she would never walk again.

"If you have had something taken away from you, you don't complain about having to do the dishes or exercise, you are grateful," she said, with her ever-present smile. "I think that whatever I'm dealt with, if my attitude is right, I will have a wonderful life."

The concept for her doll, said Balbach, came to her more than 20 years ago when she was working out on an exercise bike and reading Dr. Robert Schuller's work about possibility thinking.

"At first, I thought, 'What if I created a new character to encourage, motivate and inspire my fellow MS sufferers?'," she said. "And then, I started making music and stories and poetry around the character and I figured they (MS sufferers) are not the only ones who could use it."

One goal that she and her husband Bill have for their company, Possibility Thinker Inc., is to raise money for various charities and for multiple sclerosis research after covering their costs.

Putting the project aside, sometimes for years, when her MS sidelined her and when she stopped to care for family members, Balbach designed the first P.T. doll in 2005, commissioning about 1,000 of them from a Vista company.

"I heard that the face frightened some children," she said, adding that previously, the doll's eyes were printed on the fabric. "So I stopped that design and P.T. got a makeover."

In 2005, she started working with graphic designer Scott Rasmussen in Temecula, who helped her put together 100 different face designs, each printed on sample heads from which Balbach chose the best.

"Even moving the eyes 1/2 inch apart completely changed the look of the face," she said, of how she decided on the most friendly, appealing face. "I put them around the house and looked at them again and again. I would look at one face or another, and ask Bill what he thought, before I decided on the one that communicated what I wanted it to."

In just a short period of time, Balbach's doll has caught the attention of toy makers, the media and most important, children themselves.

Earlier this year, the P.T. Character doll earned an A rating from Toy Tips, an independent research and consulting firm on quality toys and family products that stimulate growth. In April, Balbach was given the Channel 10 Leadership Award after she presented her character doll to children at a "Possibility Thinking" assembly at Bernardo Elementary in Escondido, which her grandson, Jason, 9, attends. She also donated one to each of the 15 classes.

The acceptance of her doll by children and others needing encouragement is what matters most to Balbach.

On Feb. 28, she introduced P.T. at a school-wide assembly at Mary Fay Elementary School at Camp Pendleton before donating 41 of them to the school. She told a story she had heard from a teacher about a little boy named Martin who must wear a helmet at all times to protect him from periodic seizures, and how the helmet causes him a great deal of embarrassment. Balbach said she made a helmet for his P.T. doll. Since then, she said, Martin has stopped complaining about his helmet.

Before closing, she read the children a poem of hers called "Always Close to my Heart."

"We had all of the kindergarten, first and second graders come to assembly where Marlene told the story about a boy who didn't have any friends," said Principal Lynne Gilstrap about Marlene's story of Martin, "and when we heard she was donating the dolls to the school, we couldn't believe our good fortune."

Now, Gilstrap says, P.T. dolls in each classroom are cherished by the students, who take turns taking him home for weekends. He is also a source of laughter and merriment.

"On St. Patrick's Day, the leprechauns captured P.T. until the children paid a ransom of markers and crayons," said Gilstrap. "I don't think the kids even think of him as a doll. He goes from table to table and is part of the classroom. In some, he even does morning exercises."

Though Balbach has performed as a singer through her life, she said she prefers not to be in the limelight at school assemblies. "But I told her she has to talk to the kids about P.T.," Bill Balbach said, adding his wife certainly has a gift with children. "Kids know if you're pulling one over on them," she added.

Balbach has also been working on a book about P.T. and has recorded a number of contemporary songs offering encouragement for children, and people of all ages.

"I believe we are given talents and a unique purpose and that we are here for a reason," she said. "I believe P.T. is one of the reasons I am here, and we can all have the purpose to be kind and use our talents for good. It's not mysterious."

Contact staff writer Ruth Marvin Webster at (760) 740-3527 or rwebster@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.

More information

www.ptthinker.com or call (866) 361-7907 or (760) 294-8684

At Sidny's Deli, which is owned by the Balbachs' son, Curt, those who purchase a P.T. doll can bring in their receipt for a free sandwich. Sidny's Deli is at 11981 Bernardo Plaza Drive, Rancho Bernardo.