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RIVERTON — A good Samaritan is raising money for an eighth grade girl he's never met who is losing her hair.
Kim Matz said her 13-year-old daughter, Abby Matz, was diagnosed with alopecia areata about two years ago, and she is now looking into wig options.
Kim Matz has monitored her daughter's bald spots for the past couple of years, and she told herself everything was going to be fine when she noticed some regrowth.
About a month ago, after the bald spots became bigger and appeared more frequently, Kim Matz decided she and Abby needed to talk about how her hair may not grow back.
Currently, it looks as if Abby has hair, but if she bends forward, the bald spots are visible. She is in the first stage of alopecia, but Kim Matz said Abby is moving into the second stage, alopecia totalis, so her bald spots are growing and there is no hair growth.
Just stay strong and be happy and look at all of the good things about it.
–Abby Matz
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kim and Abby recently shared her story with members in their ward.
When a ward member told her brother, Stephen Wells, that the family was looking for people to donate hair for Abby, Wells created a GoFundMe account* to raise $6,000 for a couple of wigs.
Wells said he grew up with a speech impediment and he knows what it's like to be in middle school.
"I was just imagining going to school with big patches of hair missing and it just kind of made me realize how difficult that would be," Wells said. "And that's one of the reasons I wanted to get some money raised and help her get a hairpiece made so she could just feel her best and be her best."
Kim Matz said several people are donating hair to Abby. Between the hair donations and the GoFundMe money, they are hoping to get her outfitted with two wigs, at least one in Abby's natural strawberry blonde color.
- Autoimmune disorder that rejects hair
- Common among those with chromosomal disorders
- Can start after a stressful event
- Causes hair to fall out from the roots
- Can affect any body hair
- For some, results in changes to nails
- Typically not accompanied by other symptoms
So far, more than $2,000 has been raised for Abby's new hair. Kim Matz said she is touched by what Wells and others are doing.
"This alopecia, it's not fun to go through, but this kind of love and support is quite the experience our family is having," Kim Matz said.
Abby said she's going to miss her hair, but has been focusing on the positive things about losing it, such as shorter showers and not getting hair in her face.
To anyone going through a trial, Abby says, "Just stay strong and be happy and look at all of the good things about it."
Anyone interested in donating hair to Abby may email Kim Matz at freckleskim@gmail.com.
*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
