Hi, Merari and Jennifer. Welcome to Alopecia World! This is a great place for great people, so be sure to make your positive presence known. :-) - rj, Co-founder

HI Merari, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome you to Alopecia World. I have been living with Alopecia Areata since 1991 and know full well the struggle it can be. I look forward to getting to know you. Cheryl, Co-founder

Hi Jennifer and Merari, Welcome and thank you for the friend request. My daughter Samantha is also 6, turning 7 going on 17 soon.. You are adorable! You sound a lot like my daughter..She loves to make books and write her own stories too and she is quite a student in her 1st grade class as well. Samantha does not Alopecia stop her from doing anything she wants to and she is not afraid to tell people about it and explains it well. How has Merari been dealing with her AA? Happy Thanksgiving and write anytime..
Cindy

Hi Jennifer and Merari,
You are wonderful for being so supportive of your niece.
You might want to get my book because there is some helpful information for women and girls who have alopecia. It's called, "If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!" and you can find out more on my page.
Take care!
LeslieAnn

Merari, That is so encouraging! Jennifer is a very lucky girl. If you take a look on the right side of this page, you will see a list of books on Alopecia and there are also some kids books. Hopefully that helps.

Take care,

Cheryl

Hi Jennifer, thank you for the nice words. I am happy to share some info with you on wigs. Over the year, I have learned a lot. Samantha has been wearing a wig for a year now. The first wig we bought was an Amy Gibson wig and it was not custom, but I needed it ASAP...Later, I learned about the Hair Club for Kids which is through the Hair Club for Men. www.hairclub.com. They give kids age 6-17 3 free hair replacements and 8 services a year. Samantha and well as several other gals on this board like the wigs. If you go the website you will find a number to call to get the application. It only requires a doctor signature and it can just be the primary doctor. I brought photos of Sam before hair loss and they matched her color beautifully. They will make a hair piece to fit Merari's hair loss needs. They tell you it takes 10 weeks, but it seems more like 14. We are waiting for another one and it has been 12 weeks already.

Children With Hair Loss is another organization you can contact. www.childrewithhairloss.com They will send you a temp wig and send you to a place they work with to have it trimmed and to have a mold made for a custom wig, This too is free. Once I found out about the hair club I did not move forward.

My least favorite to deal with was Locks of Love. They required a lot of information and in the end what they wanted to charge me for a wig I could get faster and cheaper or for the same money on my own. However, for those in a low income bracket it maybe worth the energy, but it takes 6 months to get the hair.

Samantha also wears headbands with hair sewn into them, like the black one on my page. We bought a few and she wears them when she is home. I got those from www.hatswithhair.com. I suggest only getting the human hair ones. We have some with different hair and I only like the human hair one. Again, you can match your hair type and color. It has been a great alternative to a wig in the warmer weather and Sam loves them.

I hope this information help you and Merari. How much hair loss does she have now and are you trying anything? Please email me anytime.Cindy

HI, my name is Esther. I am Merari's grandma. As soon as i hear about my granddaughter illness situation, i start seaching the web to a site that will inform me all about this illness and when i got this site i ask for brochures and i let my daughter In Law knows...after few months i get this invitition to join officially my granddaughter page. I am so happy that even when is a hard and very difficult time to us as family seen our family member loosing hair...we learn that she as a child is a treasurer in our lives and the happiest girl in the whole world and that's the real lesson to us...she is bright, sharp, happy, smart, very creative, a leader, and from all above a Christian child who loves the Lord at this early age and sing and enjoy praying and helping out his Pastor Dad...so...what else??I will praise the Lord for this mercy and for Her and all of us as family because our faith relay on our God's promises and God's Word...I am waiting for a miracle....so I am reaching my hands out to get it soon....

She is adorable i do not no much about alopecia ether and o my gosh she is cute.

We live about half an hour west from Coldwater. I'm not supposed to give out the name of the town to people on the internet. Thanks for giving me the information about Merari.

Hi north neighbor :) I'm from Northwest Ohio, 45 minutes south of Toledo, so I've heard of Lansing. I've had alopecia areata since I was 11, and universalis since I was 23. Unfortunately as I got older my disease progressed. Merari seems like a sweet girl and looks like she has a load of love surrounding her, which is very important! My family was my strength during this process and haveing their acceptance and encouragement is what helped me accept my self. Everyone is different, sometimes the difference is more obvious in some than others.

Your little one is so cute. She is exactly like my daughter because Amber also has a disney princess obssession as well. Her birthday cake also had the princess picture on it as well.

It is though I know and I just wanted to let you know that you are indeed not alone on this journey eventhough at times you might feel as if you are.

Amber did loose 90% of her hair within about six months as well. But it did all grow back and than she started getting pactches and now it is growing back again so I guess this is the unpredictability of it and we just need to take it as it goes. It is sad sometimes so I can understand exactly where you are coming from but I always keep reminding myself to thank the lord that it is nothing else....and this has helped me come to acceptance. I have my days but all in all I have come a long way and I talk openly about it to other parents at her school and teachers. This has help me and her alot.

Hi Jennifer, how is Merari doing? Did she have a good experience with looking for a wig?

your welcome glad to help and thank you for thanking me. ha ha ha!!!!!!!!! : )