A six-year-old Leah Hayes was diagnosed with alopecia. Slowly taking effect on her body, she first started to lose clumps of hair from her head. Then, she started to lose her body hair as well. Coming from an athletic family, an eight-year-old Leah adjusted to her reality, took a dip into the pool, and called it her own. “Here, she could always just be herself. She was just always Leah to me, I didn’t even know there ever was a wig,” coach Hooper said. But what about life outside the pool?

For long, she used to mask her condition by wearing a wig or a hat. But one day, she chose freedom. Leah goes down memory lane to open up about the day when she came clean about the rumors in school.

Young Leah showed signs of greatness with bold revelation

When she was in fourth grade, she wrote a speech for Veterans Day. In the speech, she talked about her alopecia and how she would dress from then on. At first, she wore hats. But soon, she gave those up. She admitted, “Eventually, I decided that it was best to address the situation by telling everyone what I had.”

Losing all accessories, Leah eventually “went to school bald” and embraced her condition. She said that her classmates gave her the confidence to be herself. She recollected, “When I took my wig off, they looked at me. And they were just so happy that I could be myself around them.” As she teared up a little at the thought of the unparalleled support she received from her peers, she continued, “They cried, and I cried.”

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A decade has since passed, and now, the 17-year-old is an Olympic Bronze medal winner for the United States of America, fondly remembering all the moments that led up to this moment. The SI-nominated 2018 SportsKid of the Year has a large following supporting her ambitions for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Legendary swimmer champions the cause of the underrepresented

Leah wants to use her voice to give confidence to other girls suffering from the same condition. “I really hope to bring more awareness to help people with alopecia and help other people with autoimmune diseases or just differences, insecurities about themselves,” Leah added. While she inspires many to embrace their differences, she remains her grandfather’s biggest inspiration.

“He watches my races every day. He makes charts for me for all the times that I need or that I want,” described Hayes. As she trains for Paris Olympics 2024, the special charts better be coming to make every lap count.

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