Sophie is thirteen years old and enjoys gymnastics and arts and crafts. This past summer, she lost all of her hair in just a few weeks due to Lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own healthy tissue and organs.
Sophie’s mother shared that 2024 was a rough medical year. With more than 25 hospital admissions, losing her hair was another hurdle to overcome. When asked about her experience with hair loss, Sophie shared that it made her feel sad. “In July 2024 I started losing my hair and in three weeks it was all gone. It was very hard.”
Her mother agrees, “[Sophie] is a strong and resilient young lady, but losing her hair was really hard for her. She is able to mask a lot of her medical issues, but losing her hair was an obvious thing that was hard to hide.”
Sophie and her family applied to the Wigs For Kids Recipient Program, where children experiencing medical hair loss are provided hand-tied hairpieces made from donated hair at no cost to the family. Wigs For Kids is able to provide these hairpieces free of charge to recipient families thanks to generous hair and financial donors.
While waiting for her hairpiece to arrive, we asked Sophie what she was looking forward to the most. She shared, “Being able to style my hair, and not have people wonder about my hair.”
On the scheduled delivery day, Sophie could not hide her excitement. Her mother shared, “During the wait for her wig, Sophie learned to rock her bald head and was comfortable being herself. The day the wigs was supposed to arrive, Sophie watched the tracking all day long. When the wig arrived, she was thrilled. It was gorgeous! Sophie just beamed with the wig on.”
“Sophie knows she is beautiful with and without her wig, but she loves wearing it. [Having] the ability to style it to make her hair match her sister’s is a special treat.”
Sophie worked with Certified Service Provider Donna Beeba of Donna’s Suite. Donna met with Sophie and her family first to take measurements for the hairpiece, then again after the hairpiece was completed for styling and to learn about maintenance. As long as the medical need remains, Sophie’s family can apply for one hairpiece each year up through Sophie’s 18th birthday.
Sophie’s mother shares, “Sophie’s wig is so natural and beautiful. Thank you to Wigs For Kids, all who donate their hair, and her stylist Donna who made the process magical.”
If you are a stylist interested in helping our children, please click here for more information.
If you are interested in donating your hair, please click here for more information.
For recipient stories, please click here.
For more ways to support Wigs For Kids, please click here.
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