September is Alopecia Areata
 Awareness Month!  

September is all about the alopecia areata community. We are strong individually but when we work together, we have super-powers! It’s time to put on a cape and Be a Superhero for Alopecia as you join us in raising awareness and funds to support NAAF’s mission!  

Here are just a few of the many ways you can help: 

EDUCATE: follow NAAF on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Reshare our posts so that your friends and connections will learn more about alopecia areata.

SUPPORT: on September 30, the alopecia areata community will Walk For Alopecia! Sign up and be a part of this nationwide movement to raise funds and awareness today!

ADVOCATE: help NAAF secure insurance coverage for wigs, better access to the new treatments, and more funding for research by becoming an advocate.

If you have any questions, need materials or would like help in deciding the best way for you to become a Superhero, contact NAAF.

Many thanks to our partners at Pfizer, Eli Lilly & Company, and Sun Pharma
 for their support of Alopecia Areata Awareness Month

Alopecia Mom Meg Mazzola Helps
Kickoff the Walk For Alopecia™!

The Walk For Alopecia™ officially kicked off helping to shine the brightest light on alopecia areata.  During the online event, attendees wore their coolest sunglasses to learn more about how to participate in the first ever Walk For Alopecia™.  There were some wonderful speakers including NAAF President and CEO, Nicole Friedland, Celebrity Chair and Grammy-winning guitarist and songwriter Molly Tuttle, and Robbie Baker, NAAF’s VP of Development.  

The highlight of the call was hearing from Meg Mazzola who shared about her daughter, LeighJay, and her alopecia journey, why they are walking and why their team is named “The Sprinkle Squad”!  LeighJay wears fun sprinkle tattoos on her head to school to help create positivity with her classmates.  So, the team’s name “The Sprinkle Squad” was coined and Meg says they want to “sprinkle hope and happiness through their walk participation to all those living with alopecia areata!”    Meg set a modest fundraising goal not knowing what to expect. After sharing LeighJay’s story on their social accounts, she has beat that modest goal within a matter of days having raised over $3,500, to date!  Meg and her team are excited to walk, and they plan to serve sprinkle cupcakes to all who walk with “The Sprinkle Squad”!  

If you missed the virtual Walk For Alopecia™ kick off, you can view it here:   https://youtu.be/eP-kIKqon9s.

You are invited to join the Walk For Alopecia™ movement!  We walk September 30th! You can participate at the official first ever San Francisco site at Lake Merced or Walk Where You Are.  Let’s do something about alopecia areata!  Let’s Walk!  

NAAF Youth Mentors are Ready to Help! 

If you have a child or teen with alopecia areata between the ages of 5 and 18 who is seeking support and guidance to help navigate life with alopecia areata, this program is for you! We have many Youth Mentors anxiously waiting to be matched up with a mentee to remind them they are not alone. Youth Mentors and the young people they help don’t need to live in the same city, so you can choose any mentor from anywhere in the country. They can connect via phone or video chat.

If you’re ready to connect your child/teen with their new mentor and friend, please visit our website at www.naaf.org/youth-mentor-program/ to select one of our volunteers from our youth mentor directory. Mentors provide a short bio about themselves for parents and kids to review and select the mentor who you think best matches his/her interest. We then make an introduction for you, your child, and the mentor. All of NAAF’s mentors go through a rigorous interview and screening process.

We are confident your child or teen will benefit from this program, but don’t take our word for it. “James loves his time with Matt because he gets to connect with someone else who has alopecia,” says Carolyn, whose son is a mentee.  “It’s comforting to know he has someone like him to hang out with. Matt has made a big impact on his well-being over the last several months.” 

NAAF's Patient Support Program is supported by Eli Lilly and Company

Under Voting Age?  Become a Legislative Mentor!

L to R: Gary Sherwood, Wendy Yu, Alison Ma, Staff person, Peyton Hemann, Monica Kim

You may not be old enough to vote, but you can still make change happen.  The Legislative Mentor program is for anyone ages 12-17 who either has alopecia areata themselves, or a family member with the disease.  Meet with the offices of your congressional representatives and senators and tell them how they can help the alopecia areata community.  You may even join us in Washington, DC, when NAAF advocates on Capitol Hill!  

NAAF’s Legislative Liaison and Legislative Mentor programs are supported by Eli Lilly and Pfizer 

New Webinar: The connection between allergies, eczema, and alopecia areata in adults and children: Implications for new treatments

NAAF is hosting its next live webinar, The connection between allergies, eczema, and alopecia areata in adults and children: Implications for new treatments, on Wednesday, September 20th at 7:00pm ET/ 6:00pm CT/ 4:00pm PT. 

A large proportion of the patients who have alopecia areata also have allergic conditions like eczema, asthma, hay fever, and food allergies – among others. Or they may have close family members with similar conditions. This presentation will cover how alopecia areata and these allergic (or atopic) conditions can be related, and what this implies for treatment options.  Dr. Emma Guttman-Yassky from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will discuss this topic and answer questions.

This webinar is part of NAAF’s You Are Not Alone, Education and Empowerment Webinar Series, supported by Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer, and Sun Pharma.

Clinical Trial Announcements 

NAAF works to bring you postings about new clinical trials recruiting individuals living with alopecia areata.  To learn more about clinical trials and the latest listings, visit www.naaf.org/studies, and see the announcements below.

Clinical Trial Opportunity!

A clinical research study is looking for adults (18+) diagnosed with alopecia areata with 50% or more scalp hair loss. This study is investigating an oral (taken by mouth) study drug called farudodstat. The main purpose of the study is to see whether farudodstat, when taken twice a day for 12 weeks, can help people with alopecia areata grow hair and to find out if farudodstat is safe when compared to placebo (a pill that looks like the farudodstat tablet but has no drug or other active ingredient in it). 

Eligible participants will receive study drug for 12 weeks and placebo for 12 weeks. The study will last approximately 8 months and you will have to go to the study center for 11 scheduled visits. Participation in this study is at no cost to you.

This study will occur at multiple clinical trial sites throughout the United States. Learn more here: https://www.naaf.org/studies/phase-2a-study-to-investigate-farudodstat-in-adults-with-alopecia-areata/

Donate Today and Change a Life Forever

Gary Sherwood
Communications Director