delightfully different

BY CAROLYN LILLEHAUGEN | PHOTOS BY 5FOOT20 DESIGN LOUNGE

Each weekday morning Sally Larson calls down the stairs to wake up her daughters, twelve-year-old Madelyn, nineyear-old Sophie and four-year-old Greta for school. With her sisters, Sophie bounces out of bed anxious to get ready for another day of 3rd grade at St. Mary’s school in Breckinridge. She eats breakfast, gets dressed, and brushes her teeth just like most elementary students, but before she heads out the door, she has one more task to complete. She needs to put on her hair.

Sophie has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. When Sophie was just 20 months old, her mom Sally noticed her losing hair in little patches. Soon she had lost so much that they decided to check with their doctor who diagnosed alopecia areata. They learned that alopecia is an acquired disease that affects hair-bearing skin. It can be linked to allergies and asthma, but is rarely associated with other serious medical conditions. Although there are some treatments that have varying success, the condition is not generally reversible.

Throughout her preschool years Sophie continued to lose hair until there were just a few wispy strands left. When Sophie was preparing to enter 1st grade, her parents decided it was time for a wig. Her first wig was synthetic and not too comfortable. The Larsons then learned of “Locks of Love” an organization that receives donated human hair and creates wigs for people dealing with hair loss. In preparation for the molding for this natural wig, the Larsons had to shave Sophie’s head. To keep Sophie from feeling so alone and different, her dad Cody decided to shave his head too. Sophie’s first wig was brunette, but now she definitely prefers to be a blonde just like her sisters. As Sally describes her, “Sophie is kind of a fancy, sparkly girl who likes fashion and her hair is definitely part of the fun.” Sophie now gets her wigs at the Center for Hair and Wellness in Moorhead where the owner Violet Dielke not only helps her choose and care for her wig, she makes the whole process seem special!

Despite alopecia, Sophie still does everything any girl her age might do. She especially likes art, Barbies, basketball, jumping on the trampoline and gymnastics. Sometimes when she knows she will be in an active sport, she is supposed to use a stronger adhesive to keep her wig in place.

Although baldness may seem strange to some, it is really just part of life for Sophie. Most of the time, she doesn’t think much about it and even prefers to go without her wig all through the hot days of summer. At St. Mary’s Sophie feels very accepted, whether or not she is wearing her wig. The only real problems occur when other people she doesn’t know stare at her. As Sophie explains, “Other people sometimes stare and whisper, and that hurts. I wish they knew that I am just a girl like everybody else.” Her mom Sally continued, “Most people do not intend to be mean, they just don’t understand. We wish there were more grownups who stressed to their kids that differences are okay.”

And for anyone fortunate enough to meet sweet Sophie, her differences are more than okay, they are delightful. [AWM]

BY ALICIA UNDERLEE NELSON | PHOTOS BY 5FOOT20 DESIGN LOUNGE