Four years ago, Prince William County, Virginia, resident Sharlay Field’s son suddenly started losing his hair.
He was just a toddler at the time and his puzzling diagnosis was a new one for the family.
“We found out that he had alopecia, and we didn’t know anything about it,” Fields said. “Most of the time it’s hereditary. But in our case, it isn’t. It was a shock for us because we didn’t have it on either side.”
Her son, Horace, has an autoimmune disease that causes complete hair loss, also called alopecia universalis.
But as her toddler aged, he had many questions — and other children did, too.
“He had questions around, ‘Why don’t I look like the rest of our family?’” Fields told WTOP. “His sister has a huge head of hair.”
Horace’s questions sparked a call to action for the Montclair mom. She searched for a children’s book to clearly explain his condition to him.
But after coming up empty, Fields decided to write one featuring her little boy.
It’s called “Hair-Free Horace.” In it, her now five-year-old goes on a fun-filled adventure explaining alopecia and how to live carefree with it.
“Not only do you learn what alopecia is, but the book also shows what it looks like when you’re confident in your self-image,” said Fields, who self-published the book. “There are other children in it that are hair-free. And there are things that bring joy and laughter.”
Fields, who’s also a teacher, said the book is a bridge for other children and adults to learn about hair loss.
“I’ve had a lot of interaction with children who would point at him and say, ‘That kid has no hair,’” she said. “As a mother, it breaks your heart. Now, I bring the book with me everywhere and when kids [say that], I say, ‘Well, come on over and let me read this book to you.’”
Fields also penned the children’s book to counter many people’s preoccupation with hair, to emphasis that locks — or a lack thereof — aren’t a mark of self-worth.
“For myself personally, I’ve been attached to my hair my whole life,” she said. “But what I’ve learned from my son is that it’s OK if my hair isn’t perfect. Without alopecia affecting our family, this is a lesson I wouldn’t have learned.”
