Appin’s Amy McPhee raises awareness after daughter’s alopecia diagnosis

A brave Sydney girl with a bubbly personality struggling to come to terms with an alopecia diagnosis dealt during Covid lockdown wants to share her story to help others.

Piper McPhee, 9, was diagnosed with alopecia in the lockdown of 2021.

At just eight years old, Piper McPhee learned a diagnosis of alopecia means much more than hair loss and wearing wigs.

During the second lockdown of 2021, Amy McPhee noticed her daughter had some thinned patches of hair on her scalp.

“It was a bit of a struggle to try and see someone because you could book in for a video call, but I didn’t think you could pick up the hair loss,” Ms McPhee said.

“Thankfully I was able to get a pass to go see a trichologist who diagnosed her with the alopecia.”

After the initial diagnosis, Ms McPhee said her daughter experienced a lot of emotions, and struggled with the “fairness of it all”.

Piper McPhee, 9, has decided not to wear a wig for now.

Now nine years old, Piper, a bubbly, smart, funny young kid who enjoys acting and performing, can still struggle to understand “just why” this was happening.

“She is now losing a lot, it’s not just patches in the back,” Ms McPhee said.

“Her hairline has started to go back and so it is more noticeable now.”

There is no cure for alopecia. And that is one of the toughest realities of the condition to get used to, Ms McPhee said.

There are multiple options to help slow the symptoms, but nothing is guaranteed.

“Everyone has an opinion whether it’s gut health, stress or lockdowns,” Ms McPhee said.

“So we had to sort through all of that information, try and find things that work and also just deal with the ‘why her’ aspect of it all.”

Ms McPhee said when people would discuss funding for alopecia, a lot of the focus would be on wigs.

Piper McPhee.

But nine-year-old Piper has decided she does not want to wear a wig for now.

“You can’t just think ‘oh, put a wig on it’ because that is not for everyone,” Ms McPhee said.

“There are different medications but they are quite expensive and, I am booking her in with a local counsellor to make sure her mental health is OK.

“I think the world can be a tough place, especially with social media so that’s why I want her to have the tools now before she gets to high school.”

It’s been a steep learning curve for Ms McPhee and Piper, and with all the information they have discovered they wanted to do something.

Piper bravely agreed to her mum sharing her story to raise awareness and Ms McPhee is running a raffle to raise money for the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation, and the local community has rallied and donated prizes.

“They have been so incredible,” she said. “The raffle has over 50 prizes and a prize pool of more than $10,500.”

The mother and daughter duo hope that more people learn to be kind to others and hold off their judgment, no matter how people look.

For more information about the raffle, click here.

Originally published as Appin’s Amy McPhee raises awareness after daughter’s alopecia diagnosis