Makayla Krenzel, 10, is proud to be bald.
The grade five Kelowna student has an autoimmune disease called Alopecia Areata, which causes her hair to fall out.
“Little kids would say ‘there’s the bald girl,’ I’d would get it a lot,” said Makayla.
But she didn’t let it bother her. Instead, she decided to educate her classmates about her disease and gave a presentation in front of fellow students at Aberdeen Hall on Monday morning.
“They didn’t know why I was bald, so they were surprised,” she said.
“I don’t know many kids at 10 years old be able to do that,” said Makayla’s mother, Becky. “The fact she’s lost all her hair and be so confident about it.”
“It’s okay to embrace yourself. As a mother, I’m so very proud.”
Makayla has the option to wear a wig or take steroids to stimulate hair growth, but her mother said Makayla wants to remain bald to raise awareness about her disease.
“She’s very adamant about not wearing wig. She wants to embrace who she is and everyone to see shes okay to walk around not wearing a wig.”
After Monday’s presentation, Makayla was overwhelmed with praise for her courage.
“It was absolutely phenomenal and utterly inspirational,” said Frances Smalldridge, a student Aberdeen Hall. “I couldn’t believe a girl of her age speaks so openly. Her smile and positivity are absolutely incredible.”
Makayla was diagnosed when she was two years old, but it wasn’t until this year she completely lost her hair.
There’s no known cause for Alopecia Areata or cure.
-With files from Megan Turcato
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