I was about 11 years old back in 2015 when my first bald spot appeared. Mum and dad didn’t think much of it and thought that maybe it was damaged and burnt off from a hair straightener. It grew back and then one spot turned to 2 and the 2 spots grew back. I had long thick hair and after my spots grew back I had it cut off short to accommodate the new hair that had grown back. Nothing happened for a while so we didn’t think any more of it and continued as if nothing had happened.

When I was in grade 6, spots turned to patches and patches then turned to the total loss of my hair in a matter of weeks.

We still didn’t know what alopecia was and the doctors said it was stress relating to me breaking my finger. But we knew it was more so we went to see a dermatologist, then a trichologist. We tried different diets, steroid solutions and even acetone treatment with no success. By the end of grade 6, I had my first wig. It was uncomfortable, embarrassing and I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me. I felt so uncomfortable wearing it that I got special permission from my school to be able to wear a hat in class instead of my wig.

I was glad when the school holidays came so I didn’t have to wear a wig or hat and could be me with no pressure and no one looking at me.

In 2017, I started high school and found a new wig which was more me. I felt semi-comfortable wearing it and that no one was staring at me. I still had no hair on my head and had started to lose my eyelashes and eyebrows. We found a new specialist for a second opinion about what was going on and I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata Universals. I had no bodily hair.

We tried different treatments including immunotherapy and steroid treatments which had some success with my hair growing back. But as soon as the treatments were over it all fell out again. It came time and after discussions with specialist and mum and dad to stop all treatments and time to be a kid again without having the regime of tablets and lotions every day.

We attended the AAAF open day in Hobart to find out more information about what services were available and what social support networks were out there as a family we struggled to find the right path to go down and that the doctors only knew so much. It was there that we found out about temporary brow tattoos and suction wigs, things we never knew existed!

I was lucky enough in 2017 to be selected to attend the first ever AAAF kids camp in Dubbo at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo. This was a huge thing for me to be around others who had the same condition as what I had and knew what I was going through. It was confronting and scary.

The present-day, it is getting easier, but I still struggle about what’s going on with me. The emotional impact on both me and my family has been huge and there has been a lot of tears shed and a lot of anger and frustration. I am lucky to have such a great support network with my family and my best friend Maryanne who has been through this with me and has had my back at school. I am a typical 14-year-old who plays netball, Hangs with her friends, goes to the movies and has a part-time job.

Moving forward I am now the proud owner of my first suction wig from the amazing Angela at Angel Wigs! All the support from the AAAF helped purchase my wigs last year and this year has provided me with sponsorship to continue to play netball with my local club and I thank you all immensely. And I thank Variety – the Children’s Charity who helped with a grant towards my suction wig! I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication in promoting and getting AAAF out there so people know about it.

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Abby and the Longford Netball Club are part of AAAF’s Sponsorship Program, which supports people with any form of Alopecia Areata to reach their goals in sport and the arts. To find out more about this program, visit https://aaaf.org.au/sponsorship-program/