Classmates Shave their Heads to Support 8-Year Old Child with Alopecia

An eight-year old Luke Nelson started losing his hair due to alopecia late 2018 and by Christmas time, he lost all of his hair.

His parents had to shave everything off and that affected Luke’s confidence.

“For a little 8-year-old boy to lose his hair, of course, it was hard and it was very difficult. Once he lost all of his hair he immediately put a hat on and he kind of hid behind his hat,” Luke’s mother Susan Nelson told PEOPLE.

Luke Nelson, 8, has alopecia so all his classmates shaved their heads to support him
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Credit: Courtesy Susan Nelson

Luke Nelson, 8, has alopecia so all his classmates shaved their heads to support him
https://app.asana.com/0/32923395333443/1107810201383806/f
Credit: Courtesy Susan Nelson

“When we realized we needed to shave his head because he had lost all of his hair, his little brother Sam said, ‘Well, if Luke’s not gonna have hair, I’m not gonna have hair either. He immediately shaved his head. Then my husband shaved his head. So we made it a family affair.”

His classmates at Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond then decided to do something to life Luke’s spirits.

They all agreed to shave their heads.

“They really asked the questions like what could we do to really help Luke and make him happy. Once [Luke] found out that all of his buddies wanted to surround him like a band of brothers and shave their heads as well he just embraced it.”

The kids and their parents gathered at a barber’s shop on January 19th to have a “a really fun hair-shaving celebration”.

“There was belly laughter, and kids were giving each other high fives. As soon as the haircuts started Luke ripped off his hat and he has walked around with this confidence and this swagger,” Susan said.

“It’s made him really proud. If anything, he’s that he’s been given this gift and he can look at it as a gift or he can look at it as an obstacle. He’s chosen to look at it as a gift and to overcome it and, hair, if he has it or not, that’s not going to define who this kid is. He is a strong kid,” she continued.

Speaking about what his friends did for him, Luke said: “It made me feel very good. I feel more confident. I can just be myself. I think it’s important to share my story to help all those other kids that feel different.”