KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. She learned about this story when Stella Johnson, a JOCO teen, emailed her about a fundraiser she was organizing for the nonprofit, Children With Hair Loss. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Ordinary shoppers in Johnson County on Monday night helped children with hair loss in extraordinary ways.
A Johnson County teen helped organize a fundraiser at a Leawood jewelry store where 20% of the evening's proceeds are going to the national nonprofit, Children With Hair Loss, to help kids as they work to be their best selves.
17-year-old Stella Johnson is Johnson County's first ambassador with the national nonprofit. Johnson has been organizing fundraisers to give families the gifts of wigs and hair treatments.
"I want to give back to a child that was like me, who maybe didn't have a community of hair loss around her," Johnson said.
Johnson was diagnosed with alopecia areata when she was nine. It's a condition that affects thousands of children in the U.S.
"Your immune system attacks your hair follicles, causing your hair to fall out in round, smooth patches," Johnson said.
Alopecia can make middle school even tougher for kids trying to fit in.
"Seeing that my hair was falling out and that I looked different than the other kids was heartbreaking as a child," Johnson said.
Wigs, treatments and medications can cost thousands of dollars, with a single wig costing up to $15,000. Those costs can put families in stressful and painful situations.
"Insurance doesn't cover a lot of this stuff," Stella's mom, Tamra Johnson, said. "You have to kind of pick and choose what you want to try."
Stella Johnson knows receiving a wig and treatment can bring confidence, hope and feeling your best self.
"I do think that's what drives [Stella] to give back and do this because she knows how it feels," Tamra Johnson said. "She doesn't want others to feel that way."
Stella Johnson is determined to raise every dollar she can because, to her, fundraisers are more than the money.
"Hair is a form of dignity, especially for women," Johnson said. "I really want to show kids that you aren't alone in hair loss; specifically young girls. It's common, it's normal and you don't have to be ashamed of it."
Johnson is also in the process of launching her own nonprofit, The Hair We Choose, to bring awareness to alopecia among young girls.
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