---
title: Alopecia areata girl and her mother give tips and advice
description: In this Q&A, a daring grade schooler and her proud mom reveal why they choose to address alopecia areata head-on within family, school and community.
image: https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/hubfs/power-alopcia-honesty-bg-text.jpg
---

[![2017_BGDL-Logo-No-Tag-Blog](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/hubfs/2017_BGDL-Logo-No-Tag-Blog.png "2017_BGDL-Logo-No-Tag-Blog")](https://baldgirlsdolunch.org)

**Blog**

**Alopecia Areata Support Network**

[Visit: Bald Girls Do Lunch](https://baldgirlsdolunch.org/)

# Women With Alopecia Areata Support Network Blog

## [An Alopecia Areata Story: Mother and Daughter Speak Out!](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/alopecia-areata-girl-and-mother-give-tips-advice)

Posted by [Thea Chassin](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/author/thea-chassin)

 June 21, 2022 at 5:32 PM

- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)

> “I have alopecia and that’s just the way it is.”

— Rylee

Friends, I want to share the story of an exceptional young girl and her mom. Their direct approach to talking about alopecia areata inspires and works well for people of all ages.

Rylee Ducharme was first diagnosed with [alopecia areata](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/is-alopecia-areata-hereditary) when she was just seven years old. Her mom, Johanna, found a small bald spot the size of a quarter on the back of her daughter’s head.

![Young girl with Alopecia Areata](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/power-of-alopecia-honesty.jpg?width=160&name=power-of-alopecia-honesty.jpg)

“The spot would grow in and fall out again, but it always remained small and easy to cover with the rest of her hair” Johanna recalls. Topical treatments followed, but nothing really worked or felt ok.

“My scalp was tingly and my hair was greasy” remembers Rylee.

Then suddenly it happened! Everyone could see a new bald spot on top of her head—right before her school picture day. Rylee’s solution to this glaring problem: decorate it with stick-on gems and [start talking to friends](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/talking-to-women-with-alopecia-shalas-story). Rylee admits “Well, I was scared and sad back then because my six-year-old career dream was Rapunzel.”

[Whether you’re an adult or a grade schooler, talking to other people normalizes alopecia areata](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/talking-to-bald-women-with-alopecia-areata-carols-story).

The months passed. A big clump of hair came out in her hand in the shower. Soon her scalp was down to just wisps of hair. “She refused to shave it off because we were taking a vacation to Jamaica and she was determined to have her hair braided on the beach. She had one tiny braid and was happy with it.

It held on for two weeks and that was the last of her hair, “says Johanna of a tough moment. “Rylee was fine with it. But for me it made it real. She was now really a bald girl.”

*I’m sharing Rylee’s story because she lives a core Bald Girls Do Lunch value. It’s empowering to connect.*

For dealing with comments about her looks, Rylee discovered that the direct approach was just right.

“When someone said ‘That girl’s weird.’ I told her straightforward, ‘I have alopecia and that’s just the way it is.’”

Mom, Johanna, was also pro-active. “When her hair was rapidly falling out, her teacher let me give a quick talk about alopecia areata to normalize it. No giggles. No laughs. The kids were respectful.”

YOU make the difference for a girl like Rylee

With only $5 you can make a difference in the life of a woman, teen or girl with alopecia.

Your $5 today helps to extend the support of Bald Girls Do Lunch for every woman and girl who needs it!

Whether your donation is $5 or $500, your gift of any size will improve her life.

[![GIVE A WOMAN HELP TO SPEAK OUT](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/358343/3daa17c7-f0b6-4e55-a502-71c3502fc94f.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/358343/3daa17c7-f0b6-4e55-a502-71c3502fc94f)

 Topics: [alopecia areata](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata), [alopecia tips](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-tips), [alopecia areata advice](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata-advice), [alopecia areata in girls](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata-in-girls), [talk about alopecia](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/talk-about-alopecia), [hair loss in children](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/hair-loss-in-children), [children with alopecia areata](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/children-with-alopecia-areata), [alopecia advice](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-advice), [alopecia areata in children](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata-in-children), [kids with alopecia areata](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/kids-with-alopecia-areata)

### Subscribe to Blog Updates

### Recent Posts

### Posts by Topic

- [alopecia advice (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-advice)
- [alopecia areata (3)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata)
- [alopecia areata advice (2)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata-advice)
- [alopecia areata in children (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata-in-children)
- [alopecia areata in girls (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-areata-in-girls)
- [alopecia awareness (13)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-awareness)
- [alopecia beauty tips (3)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-beauty-tips)
- [alopecia makeup (4)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-makeup)
- [alopecia medical articles (10)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-medical-articles)
- [alopecia medical news (6)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-medical-news)
- [alopecia medical resources (7)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-medical-resources)
- [alopecia month (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-month)
- [alopecia research (3)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-research)
- [alopecia style (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-style)
- [alopecia style tips (5)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-style-tips)
- [alopecia tips (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-tips)
- [alopecia wigs (6)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/alopecia-wigs)
- [children and alopecia (3)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/children-and-alopecia)
- [children with alopecia areata (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/children-with-alopecia-areata)
- [coping with alopecia (27)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/coping-with-alopecia)
- [dating with alopecia (2)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/dating-with-alopecia)
- [gender bias (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/gender-bias)
- [hair loss in children (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/hair-loss-in-children)
- [head shave (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/head-shave)
- [infographic about alopecia (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/infographic-about-alopecia)
- [kids with alopecia areata (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/kids-with-alopecia-areata)
- [real talk for women with alopecia (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/real-talk-for-women-with-alopecia)
- [research for alopecia treatment (3)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/research-for-alopecia-treatment)
- [shaving your head (3)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/shaving-your-head)
- [skin and alopecia (7)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/skin-and-alopecia)
- [stories of women with alopecia (29)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/stories-of-women-with-alopecia)
- [talk about alopecia (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/talk-about-alopecia)
- [talking about alopecia (18)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/talking-about-alopecia)
- [volunteers (2)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/volunteers)
- [wig manufacturers (1)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/wig-manufacturers)
- [wigs for women (4)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/wigs-for-women)
- [women living with alopecia (29)](https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/topic/women-living-with-alopecia)

Copyright (c) 2026 Bald Girls Do Lunch, Inc. All rights reserved. | [Privacy Policy](https://www.baldgirlsdolunch.org/?page_id=19#3) | [Medical Disclaimer](https://www.baldgirlsdolunch.org/?page_id=19#1)

This material is protected by copyright. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of Bald Girls Do Lunch, Inc. 

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Thea Chassin",
    "url" : "https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/author/thea-chassin"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2022-07-05T17:18:16.580Z",
  "datePublished" : "2022-06-21T21:32:30.000Z",
  "headline" : "Alopecia areata girl and her mother give tips and advice",
  "image" : [ "https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/hubfs/power-alopcia-honesty-bg-text.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/alopecia-areata-girl-and-mother-give-tips-advice",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://blog.baldgirlsdolunch.org/hubfs/2017_BGDL-Logo-No-Tag-Email-160.jpg"
    },
    "name" : "bald girls do lunch"
  }
}
```