A schoolgirl who went completely bald as a result of persistent bullying has undergone a ‘life-changing’ hair loss treatment.
Brave Bonnie Pullan, 11, started losing her hair three years ago after classmates at her elementary school brought her to tears every day.
But now she’s gotten a prosthetic hairpiece made from a 3D shape of her head sealed in place with long-lasting glue — and mom, Wendy, says it’s given her daughter her confidence back.
Wendy said: ‘It was magical to see her smiling with her friends during her fitting, just in time for Christmas. I couldn’t be prouder.’
Bonnie added, “I’ve been and shown all my school friends, and now I just want other kids with hair loss to feel the way I feel now — happy, confident, and amazing.”
The non-surgical treatments, called a CNC medical hair replacement system, fit the top of Bonnie’s head, making it very hard to tell that it’s a prosthesis.
And it means she can wear the advanced wig for years without having to take it off.
Because of vicious bullying, Bonnie came home from school crying every day, and at one point she didn’t eat.
Doctors later determined that the schoolgirl had alopecia, a sometimes permanent hair loss disease, brought on by the stress of her daily school experiences.
And while Wendy managed to take action to stop the bullying, her daughter’s hair didn’t grow back because of her ongoing anxiety issues.
Bonnie’s mental health began to “spiral” after her hair loss and she would heartbreakingly tell her mother, “My friends are beautiful, I’m not beautiful.”
A local hair clinic campaigned to raise the £5,000 Bonnie needed for the treatment, which was smashed earlier this year thanks to the online donation.
Bonnie said she was “stunned” when she got the hairpiece on Wednesday after an anonymous donor helped her meet a fundraising goal of £5,000.
She said, “The excitement has increased, waiting for my CNC and then I had it mounted. I was super nervous but I don’t know why because I love it.
“I am so grateful to everyone who helped me get the CNC system. To make it all possible. My smile is so big. I have hair again.’
After Bonnie got the hairpiece, Wendy said, “Bonnie is the most incredible girl I know.
“We love her unconditionally and told her she rocked every day without her.
“After four years without her, she decided she wanted her, and as her mother, I will support her in every choice the best I can.
Her confidence came back, especially knowing she can wear her CNC day and night — to school, to drama classes, and to sleepovers — without fear of it ever coming off.
‘I am a happy mother. My girl is happy.’
Bonnie will wear it 24/7 for up to 4 weeks at a time before visiting the Yorkshire Hair Clinic for her free maintenance appointments in their special private suite.
The hair system is made of 100% human hair and has a custom color matched to Bonnie’s hair and scalp. The hair system can be washed and styled as if it were her own hair.
Hayley Jennings, 42, co-owner of the Yorkshire Hair Clinic, where Bonnie had the piece fitted, said: ‘We see the difference a CNC hair replacement system makes for people struggling with hair loss.
“Seeing Bonnie’s confidence soar after her adjustment is why, we do what we do and is the reason our fundraising will never end.
As Bonnie gets older she will outgrow the 3D printed cast we made of her head when she was 11 and there are other children and young adults still struggling with alopecia.
“We are determined to help them all.”
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