The inspirational journey of a young woman diagnosed with Alopecia at the age of 5 is truly a remarkable story of determination and resilience. Born the second oldest of four daughters to Jeffery and Betsy Woytovich in West Reading, Madison’s diagnosis came just as she was entering kindergarten at Sacred Heart Elementary School.
“I had a full head of hair until I turned five years old. In early fall I got my hair done in pretty braids for my aunt’s wedding, but every time my hair was brushed, my hair would come out. It all happened so fast. This was in the fall, late September,” she remembers.
“Over the next few weeks, my hair was falling out super-fast, and my parents took me to Hershey, where I was diagnosed with Alopecia and told that it looks like I might lose all of it. One month I had hair and a few weeks later, 75 percent of my hair was gone. I was just starting kindergarten and making friends. My teachers knew about it and let me wear a hat to school. Not only was I allowed to wear a hat, but everyone was allowed to wear one; everyone at the school were wearing hats and it took the attention off of me. I cannot say enough about how they approached this. My parents, Jeffery and Betsy Woytovich, always tell the story that in the beginning they wanted me to be comfortable; they say they kind of made a mistake, so no one would really see it, and I grew comfortable with that. I remember my Dad came to school and spoke to our class, and that was the reason that I wore a hat. We had a Thanksgiving play, and I played a Native American. I never wanted to wear the hat anyway. Everyone was shocked when I took off my hat, and I never put it back on. I felt comfortable and I never experienced any negative comments from the kids at school.” Madison went on to enjoy Sacred Heart and Berks Catholic High School, graduating in 2016.
Throughout her childhood Madison blossomed as a shy but confident child, although there were no other kids that she knew who were living with Alopecia. Her three sisters do not have the condition, and there were really no other kids around that could provide support and share a common ground.
“I really do owe a lot to my parents, who eventually formed a non-profit, The Children’s Alopecia Project, which forced me out of my comfort zone. I was OK, I was a shy kid, but my parents started CAP, and began speaking at schools, so I came along. I was timid and not good at public speaking. I have this confidence now because of CAP. The organization was founded in 2004 as a local support group in Reading, pre-Facebook. They found a few families, about three, and we would go bowling, and to the movies, and experience a safe space where we would not feel judged, and parents could talk to one another. The group expanded to Philadelphia and Allentown, and now it is known around the world. My parents never planned for this to happen. It is amazing how people just spreading the word made this happen. I still speak at CAP tours. My Dad spends most of the year speaking to schools around the country. I still speak to a bunch of schools and at camps. I am also on the Board of Directors and in the decision-making room for CAP – a full circle moment.”
Growing up, Madison began to evolve into her own person at an early age. “I come from a very athletic family. I got involved with theatre and I loved fashion. I feel like my love of fashion came from wanting to express myself, and it was a great outlet to do that. I took a real interest in it as I grew older, wearing bright colors, earrings, and colorful lipsticks. I was always creative, getting involved with children’s musical theatre and other artistic pursuits because I was not athletic at all.”
Upon graduation from Berks Catholic, Madison followed her passion and enrolled at Philadelphia University for Fashion Merchandising in 2020. “My goal was always to work as a fashion designer or be a model. I was in my first year at college in Philadelphia and I experienced change as a result of leaving the safe space where everyone knew who I was, to a whole new world where I had to re-explain myself and I began having a lot of self-confidence issues. I became insecure about my body and did not want to take pictures, overall feeling really insecure. We went to the beach after my first year and my sister took a picture of me on the beach and posted it on Facebook and tagged Aerie, a popular swimsuit brand by American Eagle Outfitters. The company saw it and reached out, asking to use my photo on their website, and I said yes. The photo was very well received, and they asked if they could use it in their marketing across the country and on a billboard on Times Square in New York City. It was yet another way to push me out of my comfort zone after I was signed to a modeling agency as a result. I still do modeling, although I am no longer with an agency because I am working in my fashion career; I do shoots, but it is not my full-time job.”
Being thrust into the fashion world unexpectedly gave Madison the renewed confidence to pursue her dream to work in the fashion world. “While I was in college and after college I was working for the Anthropologie brand of Urban Outfitters in the corporate offices in buying. I was there for 2 ½ years and took some time off to work at a boutique. I presently work for QVC in product development, working with a design team to source fabrics for the celebrity clothing lines; Martha Stewart, Joan Rivers, Jenny Garth. My favorite part is that I can be very creative and I can use the business side of my experience. I love meeting celebrities and the face-to-face meetings we have on Facetime.”
Madison is enjoying being immersed in the creative field of fashion that she aimed for as a young girl. She lives and works in Philadelphia, and frequently returns home for visits with her family.
“I am looking forward to growing in my fashion career. I love my career and have an amazing boyfriend, Damond, who my family loves. He has become involved with CAP along with me and he comes and speaks at our camps. We plan to marry and have a family of our own.”
A perfect role model for any young woman who may be struggling with self-image, or self-confidence, Madison has this advice. “I feel like fake it till you make it is a cliché, but for most of my life I had to push myself out there, so keep pushing until you believe it. It does not feel comfortable, but do not let anyone treat you poorly. If you say it to yourself, you start to believe it.”
Learn more at childrensalopeciaproject.org
