Dana lost a baby at 19 weeks. Then, deep in the outback, she found a joey inside a pouch.

The first time Dana Weil became a mother was when she adopted a joey.

The 37-year-old found a baby inside the pouch of an injured wallaby struck by a car.

She took him home, named him Ginger, and cared for him like her own for eight months. 

"I know it sounds crazy. But it got us ready for parenthood," Dana tells Mamamia.

"The feeding every four hours and waking at night. I had a sling pouch, and would carry him everywhere — in the supermarket, to work, he wouldn't get out of the pouch for months."

It was 2017, and Dana was living in Katherine in the Northern Territory with her husband, Paz, who was working as a tourism helicopter pilot.

Their little marsupial baby arrived at a time when they were desperate to become parents.

Dana and Paz had just suffered a miscarriage at 19 weeks.

"I cared for Ginger like my own child," Dana says. "He was the love of my life.

"Letting him go back into the wild, was one of the most special and hardest things. I was crying my eyes out. It was a heartbreak."

Dana with her joey, Ginger. Image: Supplied.

Dana didn't know it then, but her bond with Ginger would become inspiration for a sell-out business idea eight years later. 

She has recently launched a collection of palm-sized Aussie animal dolls, in a nod to Ginger.

Rugaroo is a range of soft wildlife toys — kangaroos, koalas and platypuses — with distinct Aussie personalities and adorable accessories.

There's 'The Postie' with a bag and post-box, 'The Sheila' with a floral dress and big heart and Sandy a surf rescuer.

When Dana launched with 'The Tradie' kangaroo, before Christmas 2024, she sold out in 47 minutes. 

Rugaroos. Image: Lauren Fawkner.

"I couldn't believe it. I burst out crying," Dana says. "The amount of love put into every single stitch... I don't think customers realise what they mean to us."

Now, living in Bondi with Paz and their son River, six, Dana has been blown away by the demand for the dolls, encouraging a whimsical and nostalgic way to play.

"I want the dolls to be a keepsake and to celebrate who we are in a real way that's recognisably Aussie, and embodies values that matter — like play, kindness and connection."

This is Dana's second product that has taken off across Australia and overseas.

She is the brains behind Rugabub playmats. The foam, eco-friendly play mats with stylish designs on one side, and a fun road and ocean print for kids on the other.

In December 2020, the mats "sold out in seconds",

"We couldn't keep up. We sold out every pre-order."

But behind the scenes of working "around the clock" on two brands for babies and new mums, Dana was struggling with pregnancy loss and gruelling IVF rounds.

"I've been pregnant 11 times," she says. "I suffered four losses before River, an ectopic pregnancy where my right tube was removed after River, and another five losses while running Rugabub".

Receiving messages from pregnant and new mothers sharing joy about buying mats and dolls, while navigating miscarriages and IVF setbacks left an emotional imprint on Dana.

While grateful for her life and "beautiful son", Dana admits opening social media and seeing pregnancy announcements felt like a "pinch in the heart".

"Everybody says, 'you've got one child', but that doesn't mean the process isn't as hard. We've experienced loss and infertility before and after River," she says.

By her side, through all the heartbreak, late nights working, and breastfeeding River for three years, has been her husband, Paz.

Dana with her husband, Paz and their son, River. Image: Supplied.

He even quit his job flying tourists around the outback to help bring Rugaroo to life.

"Paz is the most amazing father and husband," she says.

"He left his dream job to join me full-time. It was his passion — he spent years flying across Australia's remote and beautiful landscapes.

"But he saw I was drowning. He saw how much it meant to me."

The playmats had been selling well, but by 2023, the market became oversaturated. This is when Dana pivoted to dolls.

But the time and money poured into the launch of Rugaroo at the end of 2023 went to waste when they received faulty products from their manufacturer. They lost $130,000. 

"I can't breathe talking about it," Dana says. "I felt like I was letting my whole family down."

Paz didn't stop work because they could afford it, he did it because Dana needed him.

"The scam broke us financially and emotionally, and with IVF and pregnancies, it was just about trying to hold on and keep the business going," she says. 

"It took us a full year to get back on our feet. We had zero dollars in the company."

"I needed him more when everything was collapsing. I never asked. He didn't hesitate to do that for me. It is a family business built on heart, it shows in everything we do."

Rugaroo has become a source of light and Dana's "new baby" after years of loss.

"The dolls and bringing Ginger back into the whole story has sparked a bit more happiness, curiosity and playfulness." 

There are currently eight dolls, with 30 characters planned. A platypus family will be released in December.

Dana's favourite feature is the pouch bag with every doll — inspired by Ginger. 

"It's more than packaging — joeys find warmth and safety in their mother's pouch. It's a gesture of belonging and a reminder to love and comfort.

"Rugaroo isn't just about toys or business, it really is about love, being resilient and a reminder to keep going."

Feature image: Supplied.