ALOPECIA AREATA AWARENESS MONTH

Yesterday we had a special visitor, John Immerfall and his mom, Steffanie. John wanted to meet Sheriff Stephen and staff and bring to our attention that September is Alopecia Areata Awareness Month.

September is a one month celebration to increase public awareness of alopecia areata in local communities across the nation.

John, age 10, is a 4th grader at South Elementary School. He and his mom hold fundraisers to raise awareness. The proceeds are used to purchase books about alopecia which are then donated to schools in Okeechobee.

John began experiencing the effects of alopecia at the age of two and lost all of his hair and technically was diagnosed with Alopecia Totalis, a skin condition that causes total hair loss. As he got older, he noticed that children would often stare at him and sometimes make hurtful comments because of his hair loss. He and his mom decided they wanted to educate not only children, but adults as well. John has spoken several times to students and tells his story.

John will have a fundraising lemonade stand on Saturday, September 29th, from 10am-3pm at Stafford’s Hair Salon, 313 SW Park Street. Come out and help John raise money to educate everyone about this condition. Also, he will have another fundraiser on November 10, 2018, “Touch a Truck”. Check out his Facebook page NO HAIR DON’T CARE, for more information.

Thanks for the bracelet John, I love it!

Michele Bell, PIO