Delena Smith Writes About Childhood with Alopecia

In her new book "The Girl from Orchard Park with Alopecia" (published by Trafford Publishing), author Delena Smith tells her personal and authentic story growing up as a poor young black girl affected by the alopecia hair disease at a young age, living in the vicious Orchard Park projects in the violent part of Roxbury during the late '70s and '80s.

According to the American Hair Loss Association, 1 in 1000 children suffers from the hair loss disease, alopecia areata. The condition is thought to be caused by the body's immune system attacking the hair follicles, and is still without a cure.

Smith discusses how she dealt with the disease as well as the endless bullying she experienced in the project and in life in general. Not only does she share her personal struggle with alopecia, Smith also provides facts about the disease throughout the book.

The author believes there should be more research on alopecia and is an advocate of any new cure being worked on for it.

An excerpt from "The Girl from Orchard Park with Alopecia"

"Just thinking about the days when I was going to summer camp I could never be like the other girls just getting in the water why was I the one who always had to wear swimming caps? Here are more questions! And never mind taking a shower in the cabin. Embarrassed! Girls would have their ponytails and I couldn't do it, more questions to ask. Going to high school on public transportation, in front of my house, I couldn't skip school grandma and grandpa, also known as Paul. They would see me as I would be getting on the bus to make sure I did so safely. Kids would tease me still though."

"The Girl from Orchard Park with Alopecia"
By Delena Smith
Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 52 pages | ISBN 9781466943414
Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 52 pages | ISBN 9781466943407
E-Book | 52 pages | ISBN 9781466943391
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Delena Smith was born in Albany, N.Y. and raised in Boston. She lived in the Orchard Park housing project from a little girl up until her late teen years where she witnessed many life-shattering events. Being bullied frequently throughout the years in turn made her resilient. Through it all, however, she succeeded in life and lives on to tell her experiences.

Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, Inc. author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an "on-demand publishing service," and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Trafford's experience for self publishing their books. For more information about Trafford Publishing, or to publish your book today, call 1-888-232-4444 or visit trafford.com.

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