Alopecia Areata: Health Story

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, February 4 and March 18
Show 405

"When I was 13, my mother was braiding my hair and found a bald spot. I spent my teens having cortisone injections in my scalp and was able to keep my hair until I lost it all after a car accident," says Jodi Pliszka who has alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease. It can't be cured, but it can be treated. "We don't know why this happens, but stress and illness can instigate alopecia. It seems to run in families and is more common in children," says Dr. Madeleine Duvic of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Jodi's hair loss inspired her to write a children's book called, "Bella and Gizmo's Adventures," where hairless cats overcome adversity. She also made the finals in the TV show American Inventor with her invention "Headline It," a specially designed cap for wear under wigs and head coverings. "Having lost my hair, I found who I am," says Jodi.