Comment by Marie Picard on July 27, 2012 at 11:00am

Dear Jordan's Mum,
Reading you was so moving and so meaningful for me as it reflects also what I felt and I was going through with my daughter Emma. I am feeling much better about it now, even if this is not always easy. My daughter has always felt relatively good about it, with ups and downs of course.
Emma is almost 10 now and she has AU since Dec 09. It occurred also very suddenly and quickly.
We are French and we live in France in the Alps. My sister lives close to Ottawa and we will visit her in July or August 2013. So maybe we could meet you at that time.
In the meantime I would be more happy to share with you our personal story.
Please let me now and I could give your my personal e-mail address.
How old is your son? When did he start losing his hair?
It was also good to read the responses your received frm everyone. Good support and good pieces of advise.
All the best to you and Jordan.
Sincerely.
Marie, Emma's Mom

Comment by Willem Laurie on July 27, 2012 at 11:34am

Hi jordans mom, you have a great story which is very similar to mine. I lost all the hair on my body in grade 10, thats right, my second year if high school. I'll admit, it was very tough for me at first. I was wearing a hat most of the first couple months and that is when i got the most comments on it. Then after christmas break came around, i returned to school accepting what i had, and accepting that this would be me for some time to come. Once i accepted it, a lot of others did. Sure, i know i look a little different, no eyebrows or any other hair, but to people who dont know me, some dont even notice..until i tell them of coarse. The point being, you should embrace it because until that hair grows back, if it does, there is no point in being miserable about it like i was for the first few months.

Comment by Laina on July 27, 2012 at 12:35pm

I'm someone who suffers from alopecia and vitiligo and I had it all throughout my school years. Coming from someone who dealt with a various number of insecurities, my "only" advice to you and all the other parents out there. Get together with the schools in your area and EDUCATE, a famous basketball player has AU, and many other well known people have dealt with other forms of alopecia (Brittany Spears). Do a slide show and present it to everyone, once the curiosity and questions are answered, kids will stop wondering and being ignorant, they will realize him/her is just like them. Get pictures of black, white, oriental, freckles, red heads, bald, indian.... Unfortanetly I waited to do this presentation my senior year, I received awards and many applause,,, but the most important thing I received was CONFIDENCE=priceless . That is the best advice I could give,,, if only I could go back and do things over. Embrace the uniqueness, and know that once your kids feel like everyone else,, they will be ok. xoxo sent your way !!!!

Comment by Jill Alex on July 27, 2012 at 12:56pm

Reading this brings me right back to March of this year. You're strength will be what he needs, and it sounds like you're giving him that! I started a blog about what it's been like for me, check it out if you ever need validation for being sad someways because it is OK!!!! I'm trying to learn that myself : )

Www.itsnotjusthair.blogspot.com

Comment by Linda on July 27, 2012 at 6:19pm

Hi.I haven't been here for awhile.Dealing with my Alopecia Areata and Fibrocystic Breast Disease.I'm looking at bi-lateral breast tissue removal.So my AA isn't the worse thing to happen to me.But I'm lucky in the fact that not all of my hair is gone yet.I can do comb-overs with hair-spray or clips to hold my hair in place.But I can say this...Don't sweat the small stuff.It could be alot worse for your son.Look at me for example.Love him,be there for him and don't treat him differently.He is who he is and that will never change.Have fun with his AU.My youngest son and I have fun with my AA.He shaved his head just for me, to show his support and that I wasn't alone.Now thats love people.True and real love.Take care.

Comment by Melissa on July 27, 2012 at 6:50pm

Hi there. I feel for you and especially your son. Putting on a very positive exterior always helps. Sometimes my mother cried when I was younger, which made it seem like it was more of a terrible thing that it really is. Ultimately, it's all about self esteem so just focus on encouraging him towards things that strengthen that. :) Forgot what everyone else thinks. It ultimately only matters what you feel inside.

Comment by FANCY1024 on July 27, 2012 at 7:03pm

Jordan's mom, My husband and I attended the NAAf convention in Washington DC last week. It was an incredible experience. And the support I got there was amazing! One of the convention speakers was a young woman who also got AU as a child. She explained how as a child she did a presentation for her classmates explaining what Aloepecia is and why she had no hair. She basically said that once the kids learned what had caused her hair loss, the kids started to treat her like a normal kid and things went a lot easier for her. I would suggest talking to your son’s teacher about doing a presentation like that and basically teach the school and community what AU is all about. Let the people of your community and school get to know your son as he is. People fear what they don’t know. They need to know there is nothing to fear and that he’s just a normal boy with no hair. I truly believe it will bring your family closer with your neighbors and community. I believe the next convention is in St Louis, Missouri. I would also suggest going to that convention. Let him be around other kids with Aloepecia and join the camp. He will have a great time and the support you both get will truly help! Hugs, Di

Comment by mkangas on July 27, 2012 at 7:26pm

I am not a parent but both my brother and I went through this at different points in our lives. I was older but my brother was around your son's age when his hair fell out. I know it was devastating for my mom not to be able to fix it for us, no matter how hard she tried. It was of course devastating for all of us, but we eventually realized that there is life beyond alopecia. If it means anything, we are both happy, married, gainfully employed adults, me with hair, he without. Alopecia has not impacted our ability to do the things we want to in our lives. It sounds like you are an amazing mom with an amazing son. Hope this helps!

Comment by Alayna's dad on July 27, 2012 at 11:41pm

Kids seem to be more resilient then we adults. My daughter has girl friends that accept (play) with her as if nothing was any different. Last week we where at the beach with a fully exposed bald head for the first time. I thank God she is not sick, and able to do all the things kids do!
She is 9. Yes, I do worry about the teen years. But she has friends and family that love her as is.

Comment by Jonathon Cullen on July 28, 2012 at 12:00am

Sometimes kid are nicer than you think and sometimes they are horrible. I went through all of my schooling with AU and it was a learning experience. Some kids were curious and has lots of questions and then others were mean. One good thing is that the kids that were curious about it usually stood up to those making fun of me. Trust in your son and his judgement to make friends. His friends will help him fend off the bullies and help keep him strong.

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