Age 9 Girl with Alopecia Asks Mom To Shave Head After Bullies Taunt Her at School
We all have traits that make us different. The world can sometimes cause us to feel terribly ashamed of these things.
But every so often, people come along who remind us that “different” is just another way of saying “unique,” “special,” or “distinctive.” They show us, through their simple daily choices, that differences can also produce other amazing characteristics — like resilience, creativity, and determination.
Recently, social media was introduced to a pint-sized messenger who illustrates these truths in a particularly powerful way. Her name is Briel Meadows, she lives in North Carolina, and she’s all of nine years old.
The third grader, who resides in Wilmington, once had a full head of beautiful blonde hair. Then, over an abrupt six-month period, it began falling out in worrisome clumps.
Eventually, Briel lost over 50 percent of her tresses. Her mother, ICU nurse Patricia Meadows, felt powerless to comfort her devastated little girl.
“At first we thought she was pulling her hair out,” Patricia said. She told Fox News that the family was concerned about a stress-induced behavior of some sort. “It started with a small patch, which became extremely large,” the attentive mom noted, “and then she developed other small patches around her head.”
“At school, my friends started laughing at me and were trying to touch my head,” Briel recalled. The other kids would laugh and chant, “you have bald spots.” Briel said these relentless taunts made her feel “very sad and angry.”
Doctors did some tests, and eventually diagnosed an autoimmune disorder known as alopecia areata. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, this ailment is actually not uncommon — in fact, it impacts up to 6.8 million people in the United States alone.
Unfortunately, as noted by Medical News Today, there’s currently no definitive cure. Specialists prescribed a steroidal ointment for Briel’s scalp area, but she disliked applying the medicine to patchy areas that were already prompting undue attention.
Instead, the resolute youngster decided on another course of action altogether. Briel asked her mother, “Would you care if I just shaved my head?”
Patricia was determined to encourage and support her daughter in any way possible. So the caring mother consented immediately.
That conversation resulted in a trip to a Wilmington-based salon called Studio 39. “Having it shaved off tickled and it wasn’t quick,” Briel noted, adding that the entire process “took at least 30 minutes.”
But Briel concluded that the results were definitely worth it. “When I looked in the mirror, I was happy,” she said.
“I want people to know that it doesn’t matter what you look like,” Briel explained. “It doesn’t matter what other people say.”
Indeed, Briel’s plucky example demonstrates that what matters most is how we choose to handle life’s unpredictable twists and turns. And according to Patricia, her spirited daughter continues to handle her own situation like a bold and beautiful champ.
“She wanted to go to the store the next day to buy headbands and metallic tattoos to put on the side of her head, so she could decorate it,” Patricia said. They’re especially fitting adornments for a brave young girl who is teaching us all how to sparkle.
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