Teen on mission to raise awareness of disease that caused her to go bald
MILWAUKEE -- A 13-year-old girl is on a mission to raise awareness of the disease that caused her to go bald.
The 5th annual Milwaukee Rock for Locks/Morgan's Ride for Alopecia is happening Saturday, September 10th. The event was started in 2011 by the families of Kiah Lang and Morgan McIlwee -- who both have alopecia areata.
Kiah was diagnosed with the disease when she was three and a half. All her hair fell out by the time she was four.
Proceeds benefit the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, which is working on treatments and a cure, raising awareness of the disease and providing funds for children to attend the NAAF national conference where many learn for the first time that they are not alone with this difficult disease.
Alopecia Areata is a common autoimmune skin disease that results in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body.
It usually begins with one or more small, round, smooth patches on the scalp and can progress to total scalp hair loss or complete body hair loss.
The disease affects about two percent of the population.
Morgan's Ride for Alopecia is a 55-mile motorcycle ride through the Holy Hill area that makes stops at several taverns.
Registration starts at 8:45AM Saturday at Milwaukee Harley-Davidson. Riders hit the road at 10:00 a.m..
Following the riders' return to Milwaukee Harley-Davidson - Milwaukee Rocks for Locks will take place from 1 - 7 p.m.. In addition to live music, there will be a silent auction, a skatepark mini ramp, food, drinks and kid's area called "Kiah's carnival" that features balloon creations, face painting, a magic show, hair braiding, games and more.