"His hair isn't going to define him"
It’s 7:30 am on a Wednesday and Jared Swiontek is walking through the doors of East Jackson High School heading to his first class.
He squeezes his backpack full of books and gear for track practice into his locker, grabs his AP calculus folder, and walks to Mrs. Collier’s room.
Jared is a senior at East Jackson High School, valedictorian, a member of the track team and
living with a rare disease – alopecia universalis.
After getting out of the shower one day, Jared’s mother Kary noticed a noticed a quarter size patch of hair missing at the base of his skull.
At the age of 12, Jared was diagnosed with alopecia areata and then alopecia universalis at 17. The disease causes a total loss of hair including eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair due to the immune system attacking hair follicles.
Alopecia areata caused only small patches of hair to fall out here and there, but not a total loss of hair
Towards the end of his sophomore year of high school, his hair started to fall out more rapidly, and he started losing his eyelashes and eyebrows and was diagnosed with alopecia universalis.
Accepting that Jared had the disease was something that wasn’t going to be a problem.
“As far as accepting him having it, that was not a problem, that’s just who he is. His hair is not going to define him” said Kary.
There is no known cure for alopecia, but different kinds of treatments are available.
During spring of his Junior year of high school, Jared decided to shave his head completely.
For Jared, it took a couple of weeks for him to get used to the feeling of having no hair, but it was the moment he came to terms with having the disease.
Graduating as one of three valedictorians at East Jackson High School, participating in track, basketball, and football and breaking a school record for the most receiving yards in a football game are some things that he’s accomplished.
For others that might be going through alopecia, knowing that it gets better is advice that Jared would give.
“It always gets better. It’s not really a big deal, it might seem like that at first but eventually things will work out.”
Jared Swiontek puts his hands on his head while being stretched by his mother before his first track meet of the season at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. on Friday, March 22, 2019. Swiontek is a senior at East Jackson High School in Jackson, Mich. and has alopecia universalis, an autoimmune disease that causes his hair to fall out. Currently, there is no cure for the disease. He was first diagnosed with alopecia areata at age 12. After starting to lose hair more rapidly towards the end of his sophomore year and junior year of high school, he was diagnosed with alopecia universalis at age 17. “I think as I got older I started to care a lot less and it didn't really matter to me that my hair was falling out” said Swiontek.
Jared Swiontek talks with his teammates before a track meet at Manchester High School in Manchester, Mich. on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Swiontek has been involved in track since seventh grade. Due to illness his sophomore year and breaking his pelvis junior year, Swiontek hasn't been able to finish many track seasons. "He's a good leader, he's really taken the sprinters under his wing even though he hasn't finished a lot of seasons because of injury or illness" said Swiontek's track coach Laura Punches.
Jared Swiontek slow dances with his girlfriend Alessandra Mireles during East Jackson High School's prom at the Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, Mich. on Saturday, May 11, 2019. Mireles and Swiontek have known each other since kindergarten and have been dating for five months. His determination, love, and care are what matters the most to her. "He’s very determined to go to college and do what he wants to do. He’s very loving, like he loves other people a lot and i can just tell by the way that he cares for my family” said Mireles.
Jared Swiontek competes in the 60 meter dash during the first track meet of the season at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. on Friday, March 22, 2019. This is the first meet Swiontek has competed in since having to end his track season early last year due to breaking his pelvis. "I like that he’s had respect for people all the way through and has done the best that he could, academically and athletically” said Swiontek's mother Kary Swiontek.
Jared Swiontek laughs with his father Jason Swiontek while getting ready for prom at his home in Jackson, Mich. on Saturday, May 11, 2019. This years prom marks a year since Swiontek has shaved his head. After shaving, his mother noticed stress and anxiety melting away. "You could just see him get lighter once he saw that he looked good bald. It was nice to see that, kind of like a relief. You could just see that weight being lifted off his shoulders” said Kary.
Jared Swiontek's girlfriend Alessandra Mireles shaves his head at his home in Jackson, Mich. on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Even though Swiontek's hair falls out due to alopecia universalis, random hairs still grow on his head occasionally, but end up falling out eventually. About once a month, Swiontek decides to shave these tiny hairs off. Swiontek has been without hair completely since April 2018, when he decided to shave the patches of hair he had left on his head. “I think as I got older I started to care a lot less and it didn't really matter to me that my hair was falling out” said Swiontek.
Jared Swiontek laughs with his girlfriend Alessandra Mireles at his home in Jackson, Mich. before prom on Saturday, May 11, 2019. Like Swiontek, Mireles doesn't think twice about the disease. “He doesn’t really care that much so it’s not something that I really think about" said Mireles. Having someone there who cared for him while his hair was falling out helped Swiontek. “She helped give him strength and confidence because someone cared for him even though his hair was falling out” said Swiontek's mother Kary.
Jared Swiontek lifts weights with his teammates during track practice at East Jackson High School in Jackson, Mich. on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Swiontek's parents have been coaching him as assistant coaches since he was a kid. "All of the coaches that I've coached with have all said ‘I’ll take five Jared’s and that’s it’” said Swiontek's father Jason.
Jared Swiontek looks out of the window during a bus ride to a track meet at Manchester High School in Manchester, Mich. on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. His mother Kary first noticed something was wrong during Swiontek's seventh grade basketball season. “I just noticed at the base of his skull he had a quarter size patch of hair that was missing so I took him in" said Kary Swiontek.
Jared Swiontek sits with teammates while waiting to run the 60 meter dash at his first track meet of the season at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. on Friday, March 22, 2019. Swiontek is described as quiet, but determined by his teacher, coach, and parents. “When Jared was a kid he was always that quiet instigator" said his father Jason Swiontek.
Jared Swiontek looks into the crows before giving his valedictorian speech during graduation at East Jackson High School in Jackson, Mich. on Friday, May 24, 2019. Swiontek was one of four valedictorians at East Jackson High School. "My biggest achievement in high school would probably be graduating number one of my class, tied with three other girls” said Swiontek.