We were pleased to catch up with one of our fabulous fundraisers 13-year-old Katie who is supporting us with a brilliant challenge this month..

Katie, tell us a little about your alopecia experience

I first noticed some hair loss in December 2022. Within just three weeks most of my hair had fallen out, and I would say by the end of January I was completely bald. I felt really sad and very frustrated. Help from my doctors was really slow. They didn't seem to think it was a problem I was losing my hair at first, I think they thought my mum was being dramatic. I wanted things to happen quicker, I wanted answers quicker. I felt upset, emotional, I didn't want to go out, I didn't want to go to school. I thought people were looking at me, laughing at me, as I was wearing a hat. I felt silly wearing a hat, I was embarrassed. I cried lots and lots. I also felt angry, why me?

What have you found has helped you in the past year?

I have received lots of support from my family and friends. They have supported me so much. The thing that has help me most get through my hair loss is probably sport, I play netball, football and hockey. I also enjoy running. I learnt to remember I'm still me, still Katie.  I also gained lots of confidence when I got my wig. 

What are you doing to raise funds for Alopecia UK?

I thought I would put my love of running to good use and I am running a mile every day in February!

Why is it important to you to support us?

It's important to me to raise money for a topic that's not talked about as much as it should be. Since doing my challenge lots of people have put comments on my fundraising page about how they have been affected by alopecia, which has surprised me. I am pleased my fundraising page is doing so well and am proud to have raised such a big amount for a such an important charity. 

A huge thank you to Katie for doing such an incredible job with her fundraising this February. We are very grateful to her for getting involved. If you would like to add a donation and some words of support to Katie's JustGiving page, you can do so here.

We need more fantastic fundraisers, like Katie, this year to help us to continue the work we do. If you can help us with some fundraising in 2024, for more inspiration head to our fundraising section of our website here.