Hi Lisa,
It would be nice to meet up sometime. Perhaps the get together that Susan is trying to set-up. My son, Alec is pretty shy when it comes to his alopecia, so I don't know if he would open up right now to someone older. At some point maybe he would talk with your daughter. I appreciate the offer and I think it's great that she wants to help. I got him to start seeing the school counselor. They are trying some role-playing and some coping techniques for when kids make comments or make fun. The school bus seems to be his biggest hurdle right now. My son started with a round patch at age 2 and then his hair grew back. He has lost 75%+ of his hair within a year and we shave his head once a week to make it look cleaner. He actually looks good! We stopped seeing the derm, as they were suggesting injections. Has your daughter tried any treatments? Any success at any point? Does she continue to see a derm? Thanks for your note and support. --JEN

Hi Lisa,
I guess I did it wrong. I'm very new at this. Anyhow, how old is your daughter? Do you ever attend the local NAAF group in Penfield?

Thanks, Lisa. This is a very difficult time right now, but I'm sure things will be OK eventually. It is good to hear that your daughter made the adjustment to a wig without too much trouble. Kait spends a long time and a lot of bobby pins and hairspray trying to cover the spots now, so I think this will be a relief to her once she accepts it.

Hi Lisa
We are well thanks. Had a really bad start to the week but things are looking up. On thursday Jon agreed that he needs help with his anxiety/depression. This is the first positive sign we have had for a few months. He also went to his friends place to sleep over last night so he is becoming more social now which is a relief.
How are you and Lauren?

Hey, that is just great! Would you let me know how you two like it?
And I'm here if either of you need to talk. My personal email is labartist@aol.com.
Big hugs!

Thank you for telling me about your daughter. It's equally as hard for you as it is for her, I know. One thing that you might be interested in is my book, written for women, mothers and daughters called "If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!" (It just won two national awards!) It has helped a lot of women! There is lot of good info in it, it can answer many questions, and it's a fun read, too. You can find out more on my page. It's available on Amazon.com. Let me know if there's anything else I can do! I am here to help.
LeslieAnn

Thank you for caring and for your prayers
Jon had a good night. He came home positive and chatty.
He was invited out today to the beach with a friend's family. He didn't sleep last night - worrying about it I think. He made himself sick and then couldn't go which is a real shame. Hopefully he will get another opportunity soon and bite the bullet and go.
Is your daughter seeing her friends more socially now? Does the wig make her feel more confident?
Is she listening to you do you think? It would be good if someone else could reinforce what we tell our children to try and bolster their self esteem.
I also wish they would find a cure very soon. It would turn our life around.

Hi Lisa
I know how you feel. Whenever your children have a problem you wish you can 'fix' it or help them solve it. Unfortunately we can't do anything about fixing the problem of alopecia.
I am glad that your daughter has some really good friends. That should certainly help her to cope. It is nice that you both are close. I have that closeness with my daughters and i am so thankful for it.
Jon is having a good day so far today. The last two days he has been in a very negative mood. He is having a friend sleep over and going to a youth group with him tonight. He hasn't had much contact with friends in the last few months so i am so pleased that he is doing something with one.
Hope you and your daughter are having a nice day
Susan

Hi Lisa
The teenage years are very challenging. Being at all different to everybody else makes it even harder. Appearance is very important to them isn't it? How does your daughter cope? Does she have some good friends?