Her Coast charity helps women with alopecia. She doesn’t find Chris Rock’s joke funny.
JoAn Niceley, founder of Pink Heart Funds, was very surprised to hear of the incident during Sunday’s Academy Awards when actor Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock for making a joke at wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense.
Before presenting the award for best documentary, Rock said, “Jada, I love you. ‘GI Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see you.” Picket Smith has been vocal about her struggles with hair loss due to alopecia.
Niceley’s nonprofit organization donates wigs to women suffering from alopecia, and she took Rock’s words personally. “Two people in my family have alopecia and I’ve dealt with so many people here on the Gulf Coast, especially children,” Niceley said. “That’s a horrible thing, to make fun of anybody with alopecia.”
Alopecia occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing sudden hair loss. For some, the hair comes out in patches the size of a half-dollar. For others, it can mean total hair loss, from head to toe. Male pattern baldness is one form of alopecia.
According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 200,000 Americans suffer from the condition. Jada Pinkett Smith announced she was one of them in 2018 on her series, Red Table Talk. “It was terrifying when it first started,” she said.
Niceley says it can be as hard as a cancer diagnosis on some women.
“It’s an emotional thing,” she said. “It affects your self esteem. When it happens to a teenager, it’s worse. I guarantee I get — just on the Gulf Coast — 10 calls a year from students.”
The COVID-19 pandemic affected Niceley’s charity. She says she cannot accept any hair donations for now because the factory she used for the wigs shut down.
“But we’re still giving away the free wigs. We had plenty in stock,” she said.
Find out more about how you can help women along the Gulf Coast with hair loss by emailing pinkheartfunds@gmail.com or going to pinkheartfunds.org.
