He's made dollhouses for sick kids since the pandemic — even after his own cancer diagnosis

His white beard is a little shorter than Santa's, and he's missing the red suit and hat, but Vincent Giannotti's propensity for making toys and giving gifts bears a striking resemblance to that of Kris Kringle.

The 73-year-old's workshop, however, isn't in the North Pole — it's in the southwestern Ontario town of Tecumseh.

The retired plumber and project manager builds dollhouses and donates them to sick children.

He started this labour of love during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was forced to walk away from his day job after being diagnosed with prostate cancer that ended up metastasizing to his bones. 

"I was diligent in getting tested," he said.

"What happened was COVID hit all of a sudden, and you know the story. Everyone was panicking — doctors, hospitals. 'We can't see this and that.' I end up with prostate cancer — Stage 4, Gleason 9 [high on the system used to grade such cancer], which is not the best thing."

Giannotti said he built his first dollhouses for his granddaughters, neighbours and friends.

Nowadays, he picks his granddaughters' brains for design ideas for the houses, which he donates to charities for fundraisers and to local children facing health challenges.

"It takes my mind off of what I've got going on in my life," he said. "I love seeing these kids happy. It really is better to give than receive, as they say. It's really gratifying."

He estimates each miniature house takes 110 to 150 hours to complete and costs him around $150 in materials. Some are so intricate, they include features such as sinks, stoves, tubs and showers, Christmas lights and dressers with functional drawers.

Giannotti says he gets amazing reaction from the children who receive them.

"They forget about their sickness, and all of a sudden they're little girls again. My heart swells every time I see these kids or think about them."

Giannotti has made more than 30 of the elaborate wooden structures, which may also include spiral staircases and stained glass windows.

He has one ready to be delivered for the holidays — with another handful on the go.

IN PHOTOS: A closer look at some of Vincent Giannotti's dollhouses:

One house is over 140 centimetres {over 4½ feet} tall. All are put together with glue and wood. The only metal, he said, is in the hinges and there are some brass screws.

"I build them the way you would build a regular house."

Giannotti said he builds the houses to give a boost to little girls who are sick, and to raise awareness about prostate cancer.

"Men need to be diligent in testing," he added.

Dollhouses built 'just like a home'

Iain Macri is co-founder of the Fight Like Mason Foundation, which helps families dealing with childhood cancer and is one of the organizations that helps find a place for Giannotti's dollhouses.

Macri said the reaction of young girls who've been gifted a dollhouse is "amazing." 

"This is handcrafted wood," said Macri.

"It literally is built just like a home, and every little girl dreams of having their own dollhouse. This is something that's completely special to them, and it's handcrafted with hours of love and spirit." 

Macri's son Mason, of Belle River, died of a rare form of cancer in 2016, not long after his fourth birthday. 

After Mason's passing, his parents started the foundation to help fund support programs, research and customized medical equipment for families.

"We made [Mason] a promise that we would help as much as we could to make a change for the childhood cancer families and kids all over," Iain said.

He said they got in touch with Giannotti through a mutual family connection.

"We found some amazingly special little girls that can benefit from this masterfully crafted dollhouse. We've been able to facilitate a few now and have another special one coming up this holiday.

"The miniature homes give families going through crisis positive memories to latch on to."

Giannotti's dollhouse-building work is even more admirable given he's going through his own serious health challenges, Iain said. 

"It's hard enough ... for someone with perfect health and skill just to be able to put this thing together. But to know that he's also kind of struggling internally and muscling through this just to bring a smile to these kids' faces is so humbling, so heartwarming."