WHY WE'RE SO PROUD OF OUR KIDS!

From defying the odds to fundraising feats, three mums share their stories

- FRANCESCA WOODSTOCK

‘Zak thought his hair defined him’

Natasha Harding, 46, lives in Bude with husband Paul, 52, and their two children Zak, 15, and Lexi, eight. As I stood behind my son with the clippers in my hand, I took a deep breath and started to shave what was left of his hair.

Zak had first developed a bald patch in February 2020, which his hairdresser noticed. We went to the GP, who took a blood test and prescribed him some steroid cream.

By the November, the hair regrew but, eight months later, a slightly bigger patch appeared. Although we tried creams and a stronger lotion, nothing seemed to work.

Zak’s long hair with natural blond highlights had always been ‘his thing’. It was so thick, he was able to conceal the bald spots at first, but by last November, he’d lost all the hair at the back of his head.

When we were out, I’d notice people staring. Zak never said anything, but he’d pull his hood up and start acting really moody.

Luckily he has a strong friendship group and still went out socially, but he started to find school challenging. His hair would shed constantly, falling onto his face and landing on his books during lessons.

By January this year, he was so low, he couldn’t face school, and he felt embarrassed because he knew people were talking about him. He said he missed his ‘majestic curtains’.

GAINING A NEW PERSPECTIVE

It was a conversation with his incredible friends at the beginning of February that changed things for Zak.

‘Mate, you’ve got to embrace it,’ one of them told him.