Tortoise and Hair keeps growing

Brian and Wendy Ter Haar know it is the patient who win in the race of life. And so it is that these Baton Rouge parents have worked steadily raising money to find a cure for an obscure disease called Alopecia Areata that struck their daughter, Abby. At 7, her hair fell out, making her one of 4 million Americans of all ages and races with the disease.

At Abby’s suggestion they decided to try and raise money and increase awareness of the disease. They started with a golf tournament, then in 2007 they created the Tortoise and the Hair 5K race. “Everyone can participate in that. There’s also no overhead, so more money can go to the charity,” Brian Ter Haar says. Their events have raised $34,000 for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, prompting the board to ask the Ter Haars to write a how-to manual. So far, 10 cities have hosted similar races, including Houston, Philadelphia and Seattle.

This year’s Baton Rouge race is set for April 4. tortoiseandhair5k.org