Families that help one another through the most difficult times in life without being asked to do so are the best.
Savannah Brown, 8, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had no health issues prior to last summer. She subsequently contracted COVID-19, and her immune system never seemed to fully recover. After being “sick all summer,” according to mother Ruqayyah Qaiyim, her daughter’s hair began to fall out in vast clumps by September.
Savannah has alopecia, an autoimmune condition that results in hair loss. It’s uncommon for someone Savannah’s age to contract the illness, but over time, it made every hair on her head fall out.
Ruqayyah promised her daughter right away that if she lost all of her hair, she would do the same, and she kept her word!
A few days later, Savannah’s father, Steven Mack, surprised her by picking her up from school. He demonstrated shaving his head in a video by taking off his hoodie.
Savannah Brown’s daughter Steven Mack is shocked when he shaves his head.
In addition to supporting Savannah and Ruqayyah, Steven claims the family valued the act for its opportunity to challenge conventional notions of beauty.
It sort of made Savannah understand that true beauty is created by her character, he said.
Then Savannah’s aunt and grandmother also shaved their heads!
Her aunt said, “I didn’t want her to struggle alone,” said her aunt. “I wanted to understand what she was going through.”
Savannah’s great-aunt made the decision to get her head shaved live on television when the family appeared on “Good Day Philadelphia.”
Savannah was shocked that so many of her family members had decided to directly assist her in bearing her burden.
Savannah said on the program,“It was just like ‘OMG,’ I have an amazing family that supports me in a really awesome way,” Savannah said on the show. “Not a lot of moms would do that and my mom is special to me. Really special.”
This family won’t let their young girl deal with her illness alone! It’s lovely to see a group of loving adults working together to support a child through a challenging diagnosis. Thank you, family!