alopecia-areata-xmas-2016.htmDad to cycle 786kms in 7 days for Alopecia Areata this Christmas

This festive season, Paul Cromie, from Melbourne will ride 786kms from Melbourne to Broulee, New South Wales, over a period of seven days to increase awareness of auto-immune condition, Alopecia Areata and to raise essential funds for Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation (AAAF).                                                                                                         

Paul's son Ollie, who is three years old, suffers from Alopecia Areata – a disease that causes the body's immune system to attack hair follicles, resulting in dramatic hair loss.

The hair loss can range from several bald patches, to total baldness.  It affects women, men and children. Alopecia Areata can occur at any age, however, in most cases, it first presents itself during childhood. Currently, there is no cure.

Although Alopecia Areata isn't a life threatening condition, it is life changing for the thousands of people who are affected by it.

Ollie was diagnosed this time last year, following a traumatic tonsillectomy where he was rushed back into surgery.

We'll never know if the stress reaction from this was associated with the onset of his Alopecia Areata or not, but ten days later he had sizeable patches of hair missing. Over the year the condition has progressed and Ollie now has very little hair left. Said Paul.

Watching your son's hair fall out and not being able to stop it from happening has been hard to take.

In our experience, most people don't know what Alopecia is. We're facing many questions from strangers at the moment who assume Ollie is undergoing chemotherapy. It's a challenge balancing the fine line between explaining Alopecia to increase awareness, and wanting to just go and buy the groceries without questions, or go to the Christmas lights without sympathetic gazes.

Alopecia Areata runs in the family. Paul's mum, brother, cousin and cousin's daughter also suffer from the condition. Each of them had the onset of Alopecia at different stages in their lives, presenting different challenges.

While, Ollie is very lucky to have so many strong role models around him to support him, he is now becoming more aware of people staring at him and is becoming increasingly shy and self-conscious around people he doesn't know. As he grows older, goes to school, we know there will be more difficult times to come as he will look different to the other kids around him. By raising awareness of the condition, we hope that Ollie will experience understanding, friendship and acceptance in relation to his condition. Said Paul.

Paul will start the ride on Boxing Day, arriving in Broulee on New Years Day. Even though Paul is a keen rider and runner, he says that the ride will be extremely testing. He will be riding solo, carrying a tent, cooking equipment and other essential items.

I think the last day will be the hardest, after 660km of riding and climbing 8300m, the final day will take anywhere between 9.5 to 10.5 hours, but it will be family and friends at the end cheering me on and the opportunity to make a difference for Ollie and others like him that will get me through.

Paul and his wife, Katie, have also written a children's book, The Best of Friends – A Story of Friendship and Alopecia to build understanding amongst children about the condition.

Paul and his family are doing a very important job of raising awareness of Alopecia Areata and raising funds for AAAF. Almost 500,000 Australian's are affected by Alopecia Areata, however most people haven't even heard of it, or let alone understand it. There is also a lot of stigma surrounding hair loss. This can have huge psychological and emotional impact on individuals with the condition. It's not uncommon for people with Alopecia to suffer with depression, anxiety and social phobias. Said Chel Campbell, President, Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation.

The Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation (AAAF) is a not-for-profit that provides people with Alopecia and their families with essential support. AAAF also funds research into the disease in order to find a cure or acceptable treatment and informs the public about the condition.