Madison Woytovich is a typical little girl in most ways. But two years ago Maddie, as she is called by her parents, lost something very precious to little girls -- her hair.

"I was a little sad," Maddie told NBC 10 HealthWatch reporter Cherie Bank.

Maddie's mother's heart was broken.

"If I could lose all my hair to get hers back, I would," said Betsy Woytovich.

Maddie has alopecia, an autoimmune disease that can strike anyone at anytime.

Most people only lose small patches of hair, but for a tiny percentage of people, like Maddie, there is total hair loss -- no eyelashes, no eyebrows, nothing.

"If it occurs in little patches you can inject those areas and the hair will regrow, but once it involves the whole scalp, there's no good treatment," said Dr. George Cotsarelis, of the University of Pennsylvania.

Cotsarelis is a leading researcher in hair loss and alopecia. He said that hair regrowth is possible , but it's rare.

"People are devastated by it. People have committed suicide over it," Cotsarelis said.

That is what makes Maddie so special. You won't find this 7-year-old sitting home feeling sorry for herself.

"Sometimes I even forget I have it," Maddie said.

"She likes to look pretty, like the rest of us, but she put it in perspective for me," said Betsy.

Betsy has the least severe form of alopecia and she says Maddie is a role model for all women who put too much emphasis on how they look. In fact, Maddie won't wear a wig or even wear a hat to hide her baldness.

"I was just a little bit different, wearing a hat when nobody else was wearing one," Maddie said.

It hasn't always been easy. Sometimes kids can be mean.

"They call me some not very nice names," Maddie said.

Maddie's father, Jeff Woytovich started the Children's Alopecia Project. His goal is to fund children's support groups so Maddie, and other kids like her, can share their feelings and forget about the disease for a time.

"I get to meet other people with no hair from other states and I get to have fun with them. If they're nervous about not wearing a hat, I can talk to them about it and say that it's all right and they won't be as scared because I won't be wearing a hat," Maddie said.

"I can honestly say that she's my hero. She has totally stepped up to the plate and said, 'You know what? I have no hair. That's just me,'" Jeff Woytovich said.

Alopecia Information

Children's Alopecia Project

National Alopecia Areata Foundation