13-Year-Old Alberte Shares Her Story About Alopecia
My name is Alberte, I am 13 years old, and I have alopecia
I was 2.5 years old when I was diagnosed with alopecia. At the time, I didn’t know what it was, and my friends didn’t notice it either.
My mom and dad have told me that the dermatologist said we shouldn’t expect my hair to grow back. But I was lucky. From around the age of 4 until I was 10, I had long hair and only a few small patches that could be covered by my own hair.
When I was 11.5 years old, my patches became bigger and bigger, so I got hair extensions that could cover my bare spots. Unfortunately, I then broke my leg, which made it difficult to maintain them, so we had to have them cut off.
I Felt Different
Once I had recovered from my broken leg, we went back to see if I could get new extensions. But my hair loss had become far too extensive, and there really wasn’t enough hair to attach them to. I was very sad because I felt very different. At the same time, I was also allowed to try a wig, but it was an adult wig, so it didn’t fit very well. I was also told that I would need to remove all of my own hair. That was something I definitely did not want. I wanted to keep the hair I had.
It was a very difficult time for me, and I honestly didn’t feel like going to school or anywhere else because I felt like everyone was staring at me and talking about me. Unfortunately, I have also been called names, including monk and cancer girl. I have received apologies from those people, but it still hurts to be called things like that.
Wigs for Children
My mom looked into the options available, and we came across Toftild. She sent an email (ed. free email consultation) to them with pictures of me, and we quickly received a reply saying they would love to meet with us.
It was a really lovely experience, and I got to try many different wigs – wigs made especially for children. I was just so happy when I put them on and they actually fit, and I was never in doubt that I wanted a wig. Especially because it wasn’t necessary to remove my own hair.
I could feel from day one that I had become more confident, and I feel much happier with my wig.
When I got home after receiving my wig, I had to go out on the trampoline to check if it would stay on, since I do gymnastics. I found out that it doesn’t stay on (probably because I still have my own hair underneath), but I have no problem doing sports without my wig because I know that I am Alberte both with and without a wig.
I hope that by sharing my story, I can show others that even if you have alopecia, you can still be happy.
The best decision I’ve made is getting a wig.
