'I thought son had taken a razor to his head - but it was first sign of heartbreaking condition'

'I thought son had taken a razor to his head - but it was first sign of heartbreaking condition' When Kerry Osborne noticed a bald patch on the back of her seven-year-old son's head he got into trouble - but then in soon became apparent little Leo was innocent and battling a dreadful condition A mum claims she gave her son a lecture after she thought he had shaved his own head with her razor - but the patch was the first sign of alopecia. Kerry Osborne first noticed a smooth hairless patch on the back of her son Leo Osborne's head in December 2023. Initially the 31-year-old believed her then seven-year-old had grabbed a razor from the bathroom and tried to shave his own head. But when more patches began to appear all over his head, the concerned mum-of-four took him to the GP to get them checked out. At the doctors, Leo underwent blood and thyroid tests to check for deficiencies that all came back clear. He was then referred to a dermatologist at Colchester General Hospital, in Colchester, Essex, where he was initially diagnosed with alopecia areata. Leo has now lost all the hair on his head, arms and legs, eyebrows and parts of his eyelashes - due to the severity of the hair loss he's now been diagnosed with alopecia universalis. As he's lost more and more hair, Kerry claims he's been mocked by cruel bullies on and off the football pitch. Kerry claims one lad on an opposing football team called her 10-year-old a 'bald cancer idiot' when he went to shake his hand post-match, while another joked he was 'diseased'. Kerry claims the cancer comment made her son break down in tears and she says this was her 'final straw' in May this year. Sadly, by this point, she claims Leo's referral for specialist treatment under the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust had been declined, with 'no given reason'. This left Kerry with no choice but to look into seeking help privately to find a treatment option for Leo. Unfortunately, Kerry claims her family can't afford the private costs and so have set up a GoFundMe page to help Leo out: Donate to Leo Private Hair Treatment , organized by Kerry Osborne She is now speaking out about her son's alopecia journey and wants there to be more education put in place for younger children about the condition to reduce bullying. Kerry, from Colchester, Essex, said: "I noticed his first one at the back of the side of his head. I first thought he had got my razor out of the bathroom and had tried to shave his head. "I asked him if he had shaved his head. It was as smooth as a baby's bottom [the patch]. It looked like he had taken it clean off and it was quite a width as well, like the size of a blade. "I gave him a massive lecture and he said he didn't but I thought he would deny it anyway even if he had done it. I thought it would grow back. Two days later another two patches appeared. There was another one at the back of his head and one on the opposite side. "They were probably about 5cm big but they weren't direct circles. Two days later another two patches appeared. And then about five days later, the top of Leo's head just below the fontanelles, a massive large bold patch appeared. "He lost his hair fully as time went on. He lost his hair back to front so it fell out from the base of the neck and then lost it gradually to the front. At one point he was just left with a chunk of hair [in line] with the centre of his nose. "In assembly, Leo was sat and grilled by a girl who sat behind him, who was saying he had a disease and to not let your foot touch him. She said he looked ugly too. My argument with the school was 'you cannot punish a child who has no understanding of something'. "If a child is saying things that are not nice about Leo, it's because he looks different. In their eyes he probably does look weird and funny but that's just because they don't have an understanding on what actually is wrong. They need the education so they understand. "Leo plays football and he's been in and out of the academy settings. We were at a football tournament and Leo had played very well. The other team needed the win to progress in the competition. "Leo scored a goal at the very last kick of the game and made it 2-1. Leo went to shake everyone's hands [on the other team] at the end of the match and this lad called Leo a 'bald, cancer idiot'. "This was our final straw. When we got in the car, he just crumbled and broke down in tears. It comes back to parents. A child of 10 would not know what cancer and being bald have to do with each other. "This child probably overheard a parent watching the match make a comment about this." Since being diagnosed with alopecia, Kerry says Leo has attended check-ups every six months at the hospital and tried steroid treatment for his hair loss but it has been unsuccessful. And, after confronting the school about the comments made to Leo by other children, she says they have responded well by holding regular assemblies about alopecia. Kerry said: "He's now lost his eyebrows, the hairs in his ears and nose, the eyelashes on top of one eye and on the bottom of the other. His legs and arms are so smooth. The change in his diagnosis is because it's total hair loss now." Two weeks ago, Kerry claims a second NHS referral request was sent off to see if Leo could be accepted for free treatment and they are still waiting to hear back. In the meantime, she has been able to book Leo his first private appointment at Mayfair Children's Clinic in London after their fundraiser exceeded £1,000. She hopes the appointment will help her understand why Leo has developed alopecia and find successful treatment for his hair loss. Kerry said: "They [medical professionals] said they think it's just Leo's make-up and genetics [that he has alopecia]. The specialist referral as a free NHS appointment has been declined but they said I'm welcome to go and see them privately. "I've had no reason as to why it's been declined. [With private treatment], there is certain medication you can't get on the NHS. We are hoping that as a family we see this private doctor and he has a bit more of an interest to find out why Leo has developed alopecia as there's no history or medical reasoning for it. "We hope we can then purchase some kind of medication for him as he goes to secondary school soon as kids are cruel." Catherine Morgan is Chief Nurse at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital. Catherine said: "We are continuing to work closely with the family to support them with Leo's ongoing care and treatment. As this is an individual case, it would not be appropriate to comment further in detail. We will remain in active contact with the family about their options." A spokesperson for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust said: "There is currently no licenced advanced treatments available at Guy's and St Thomas' to treat alopecia areata in children under 12, and we are not currently enrolling any children for clinical trials. We are unable to comment further on individual patients."