1-YEAR-OLD GRACE RECEIVES BESPOKE WIG FROM LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST

A 1-year-old Island girl – who suffers from a rare condition that means hair follicles don’t grow properly on her head – has received a specialist blonde wig courtesy of The Little Princess Trust.

Grace – who will turn 2 next week – suffers from a very rare condition called Acutis Aplasia (ACC), which is when a child is born with no skull formation or skin on top of their head. The condition can have life-threatening complications.

The condition is so rare, Grace is the only child on the Island with it.

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Throughout her short life, Grace – who lives in Ryde – has struggled with surgery and infections and has endured many trips to and from St Mary’s Hospital here on the Island and to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.

Unfortunately, a result of the condition has left Grace completely bald on top of her head, with it possible that skin grafts may be needed at a later age. Due to this, Grace had to wear a bandage for a total of 18 months.

However, earlier this month, Grace received her specially made bespoke blonde wig from Little Princess Trust with help from the team at Level Hair and Beauty in Ryde, who fitted it for her. It is believed that Grace is the youngest child ever to receive a wig from LPT.

The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or to other conditions such as Alopecia, and Cutis Aplasia. The charity is also 1 of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the UK.

Vikki Beeney, Grace’s mum, has told Island Echo:

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“Grace has received her special made wig, which has given grace her identity and individuality for the first time ever.

“The little princess trust is amazing, the amount of children who have donated there hair are a real inspiration.”