A five-year-old girl with alopecia who was gifted a wig so she would feel like a ‘real life princess’ is raising cash to help more children benefit.
Rosie Honeywood was so happy to receive her new locks from the Little Princess Trust that she has decided to do a charity run to fundraise for more little girls’ wigs.
The brave youngster, who was diagnosed with alopecia aged two, has never been self conscious of not having hair.
But it was only when Rosie started school when she told mum Katie, 27, how she wished she could have long hair like her classmates.
Now she gets to pick and choose when to wear her real hair wig which she styles in plaits at her dressing table to look like Princess Anna from Frozen.
Rosie, of Eastbourne, East Sussex, said: “I was super duper happy because on the day before I got my wig I had a smile on my face at night.
“The Little Princess Trust knows that I have got alopecia so they gave me a wig to look like my hair has grown long.”
When Rosie asked why they did not have to pay for her £550 locks and learned about the charity, she was inspired to put on her running shoes for the trust.
Together with her mum, she is currently training to complete the 5k along the seafront on April 17.
Katie Honeywood, an educational assistant, said: “Rosie absolutely loves her wig and when she first got it, she said ‘mummy I am a real life princess.’
“She loves to style it at her dressing table with clips and plaits and we wash it together in the bath.
“Sometimes we will be out and about and people will say ‘oh is she poorly?’ and they assume she has had cancer treatment.
“Alopecia is quite rare in children her age and not a lot of research has gone into it for hair creams and treatments to help her hair grow.
“When Rosie asked me why we didn’t have to pay for her hair, I explained to her that it was from the Little Princess Trust and how charities work.
“So she said ‘if I do a run, people can sponsor me and I can help little girls like me to have wigs’.”
Rosie was just two years old when she was diagnosed with alopecia.
When looking over baby photos, Katie realised the tot’s hair was thinning out rather than growing and she took her to the doctor who referred her onto a specialist.
Katie said: “When Rosie started school, being a normal five-year-old little girl she started saying ‘oh mummy I wish I could have my hair like this person or that person.’
“She is never really conscious that she doesn’t have hair, it is more that she wanted princess hair or long hair like her friends.
“I went into the Little Princess Trust and within one month they had made up a real hair wig for her. They were really brilliant.”
Rosie and her mum completed their first 5k run in training last week and have already smashed their fundraising target.
They initially aimed to raise £550 to fund one wig but so far they have raised enough money to fund three and show no signs of slowing.
The Little Princess Trust provides real-hair wigs to young people who have lost their hair.
It costs £550 to make a wig and although that was Rosie’s initial goal, she has already surpassed it by raising more than £1,000.
Katie added: “I was so impressed with everyone at the charity and what they do, and it would be amazing to fund as many wigs as we can.”