Claire White's daughter Emily was eighteen months old when she discovered a small patch, about the size of a ten pence piece, on her crown. It became bigger and within six months she was totally bald. Emily has alopecia universal, which means she has no eyelashes, no eyebrows, no bodily hair at all.

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Life has been rather stressful, with problems ranging from stares in the street to comments and insults.

In 1996 I discovered another little girl the same age as Emily with the same problem. We met up and it was wonderful to talk to someone going through the same experiences. Lindsey and Emily had a wonderful day we all benefited from it enormously. Not feeling alone was the best feeling of all.

I decided from that day that a support group for these children and their families was vital. However few of them there may be, I am confident everyone will gain from it.