A mother’s experience report

Report of a mother whose daughter was affected with the illness in her teen years:

Thick healthy hair is a symbol of success, youth and beauty. It was precisely these ideas that filled my daughter’s head until one day, when she was 14 years old, she showed me a small, bald, round spot on her neck. We immediately set up an appointment with the family doctor, who said it could be the case of spot baldness. He measured the place and invited us to come in a few weeks later for a follow-up. However, the bald spot on the neck became bigger in the course of time and my daughter was transferred to a specialist in St. Gallen. The specialist unfortunately confirmed the diagnosis of the physician. It is clearly Alopecia Areata. A million thoughts were swarming in my head! Will my daughter be able to deal with such a bad news at the time of puberty, a time when many young people go wild? I tried to be strong and to keep calm. There followed some therapies and many well-meaning tips from doctors, friends and acquaintances.

In the next two years, however, my daughter lost more and more hair and for all of us this time was really not easy. We shared a bathroom and it was breaking my heart, as I had to vacuum away more and more loose hairs. My daughter had such wonderful, curly hair and was greatly admired because of it. At 16, she had to take action and started wearing a wig. She was just starting her studies, she had to concentrate on work and school, she fell in love for the first time, and then that illness. The family tried to support our daughter and help her, only her elder had a hard time coming to terms with her illness.

I am very pragmatic and have always believed in the possibility of healing right from the start! Perhaps when my daughter has a less stressful life, circumstances will change and her hair will grow again? In the meantime, 15 years have passed since the onset of the disease. My daughter has become a great, self-assured and courageous person, she is a success both in her professional and private life. I am very, very proud of her, how she deals with her illness and makes others interested in this problem and shows that life with Alopecia can also be fun!

My daughter is actively involved in this club and is trying to convey the courage and confidence to today’s patients so that they could walk through life holding their heads up high.