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Permalink Reply by Terri on August 16, 2008 at 9:15pm

Thanks so much Bogie. I really appreciate it so much. I will take all of this into consideration. I look forward to hearing from you again.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon on August 16, 2008 at 2:47pm

Hi Bogie thankyou so much for all the awesome advice you have shared in this post. Our daughter is also 12 and although she seems to cope fine with her AU isn't very outgoing preferring to be quite the home body. You have shared some wonderful ideas. Thanks again Sharon

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Permalink Reply by Rose Marie' on August 16, 2008 at 4:02pm

Hi

Bogie

That is fantastic advise and I'm sure it will help.

My daughter lost her hair at 12 years old. So I understand the anxiety/depresion it can cause. Just like Bogie says it is very important to make sure she feels safe. Depression/Anxiety are serious issues and I think it always advisable to get medical advise if it is becoming overwhelming.
With my daughter I found that her activities have always been a big part of how she gets on with life. She is a singer, pianist and a very good academic student (brainiac LOL I like that). Anyway, these activities really have helped her become confident in herself. She has travelled the world and throughout New Zealand performing with her school choir. At first I was a little concerned about this but she blossomed with the support and care her choir gave her. She learnt to deal with things on her own terms in the safety of those that care about her.

The other thing that helped her was having the ability to present herself how she saw herself - in our case we found a very good hairpiece. A wig may not be what your daughter wants to wear but it is important that they feel a little in control of how they present themselves to their peers. This was an important part of the equation for us to help our daughter move on. Be proactive in searching for things to help.

Hope that helps a little



Take care

Rosy

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Permalink Reply by Kayla DeMarini on September 7, 2008 at 10:35am

I have AU and i was 12 only 5 years ago...

12 was a rough age for me actually...the thing that helps me the most is having a really good vacuum wig and wearing make-up. For a long time i refused to wear make-up but once i got used to it it made a world of difference in my confidence levels. I also partially re-grew my eyebrows with this stuff called revitalash and have been filling the rest in with pencil. There is definitely a lot of depression and anxiety with alopecia and i dont think you can avoid it but you can be there with her to get through it because it will get better. I also started seeing a therapist which might help your daughter

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