Seven-year-old asked 'if she has cancer' by cruel kids after alopecia diagnosis

Amelia Miah has been cruelly called "baldy" by mean children astatine schoolhouse aft being near with conscionable 1 strand of hairsbreadth connected the backmost of her caput pursuing a devastating alopecia diagnosis that meant she started losing her hairsbreadth aged three

Cruelly teased by different kids who telephone her ‘Baldy,’ each seven-year aged Amelia Miah wants for Christmas is for her glossy achromatic hairsbreadth to turn back. Proudly washing and conditioning the 1 remaining strand astatine the backmost of her head, she has experienced patchy hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment since she was three, going wholly bald, prevention for this tiny section, erstwhile she turned five.

A foundation provided a wig, but it didn’t acceptable properly, truthful her mum Maggie Grey, 27, says she was embarrassed and wouldn’t deterioration it. Diagnosed with alopecia, which causes hairsbreadth loss, Maggie says different children inquire if she has crab and person adjacent refused to play with her, successful lawsuit her baldness is contagious.

The mum, from Manchester, tells The Mirror: “When we spell anywhere, radical conscionable look astatine Amelia. It truly upsets her. And children tin beryllium truthful cruel. They taunt Amelia astatine schoolhouse and outcry retired ‘hey Baldy’ erstwhile she walks past.”

Now fundraising to wage for backstage attraction and a custom-made wig, Maggie continues: “It each started with a small bald spot 1 wintertime erstwhile she was three, wherever her fringe was. I thought it had conscionable rubbed connected her hat, but past a fewer much appeared implicit the adjacent fewer weeks. Nothing triggered it, it conscionable seemed to travel from nowhere.

“I took her to the doctor, who gave maine immoderate cream, saying they thought it whitethorn beryllium aboriginal alopecia. The pick didn’t work, truthful I took her back. This clip I was fixed steroid cream. That didn’t enactment either, truthful I demanded to spot a dermatologist.

“The dermatologist diagnosed her with aboriginal signifier alopecia and gave america immoderate antithetic steroid cream, but that didn’t work. I took her to the doc 7 times implicit the adjacent six months.

"They kept telling maine I was wasting their time, that determination was thing much they could do. I’ve besides tried each sorts of hairsbreadth oils with extracts to beforehand hairsbreadth growth, but thing has worked.”

In 2022, aged five, Amelia’s hairsbreadth started falling retired completely. Maggie, a afloat clip mum and carer for her 15 twelvemonth aged lad Bobby, who is autistic, says: “She was truthful heartbroken. She looked successful the reflector and broke down crying.

“She would accidental to maine each nighttime ‘Mummy, erstwhile is my hairsbreadth going to travel back?.’ She’s truthful protective implicit her 1 remaining strand. She puts conditioner connected it truthful carefully. She makes maine benignant it each time for her - that strand is her world.”

Alopecia affects 1 successful each 13,000 children nether four. It tin statesman astatine immoderate property and tin impact immoderate taste radical oregon gender. An autoimmune disorder, it happens due to the fact that the body’s immune strategy attacks the hairsbreadth follicles arsenic if they were a threat.

Maggie, who is separated from Amelia’s father, and has 2 different daughters, Amaya, two, and Azalea, 11 months, said; “On the autobus a fewer weeks ago, a pistillate sat other america wouldn’t halt staring astatine Amelia. I had to inquire her to stop. It was truthful uncomfortable. I would overmuch similar it if radical conscionable asked america what was wrong.

“Amelia stood up successful people astatine schoolhouse precocious and explained to the different children what has happened, hoping it would assistance them to recognize what she is going through. When the teacher told me, I cried, arsenic I was truthful arrogant of her. “

Sadly, Amelia can’t recognize wherefore she is losing her hair. Maggie says: “She strokes my hairsbreadth and asks ‘Mummy wherefore can’t I person bully agelong hairsbreadth similar you?’

“When different children taunt her it’s heartbreaking. Some adjacent garbage to play with her due to the fact that they deliberation she has immoderate benignant of disease. It’s truthful hard for her.”

Maggie hopes the GoFundMe she has launched volition mean they tin spend to bargain a realistic wig, which volition outgo £2,500, and wage for an assignment with an alopecia specializer astatine a session successful Manchester. She says: “The foundation wig didn’t acceptable and the NHS person said each they tin bash is supply cream, but that doesn’t work. Amelia is the kindest small miss successful the world, she is my babe and I hatred to spot her going done this.”

A spokesperson for Alopecia UK says: “Alopecia areata is much communal successful older children, teens and adults than precise young children. Many of the attraction options that mightiness beryllium offered to adults with alopecia areata are not disposable to young children with the condition.”

To donate to Amelia’s fundraising sojourn gofund.me/0f2bbb4 and for accusation and proposal astir alopecia sojourn alopecia.org.uk.