**Touching moment: Dave, 41, made the decision after seeing his daughter get upset about her condition**

After learning his daughter felt bad because alopecia made her bald, devoted dad knew just the way to support her

A loving father jumped into action

December 2017, Riley Sylvaria, 6, of Bristol, Rhode Island, has alopecia totalis, an autoimmune disorder that causes a complete loss of hair on the scalp. While she was born with a full head of hair, Riley soon started losing patches of hair and was bald by 15 months old.

Her parents, Chelsea and Dave have encouraged Riley to feel confident and strong despite her lack of hair. But it still can be tough for a little girl.

At a gymnastics competition, when Riley admitted to her mother that she didn’t love herself, Chelsea was shocked.

Chelsea called Dave immediately to tell him what happened. And although they were about to head out to celebrate their wedding anniversary that night, Dave wanted to talk to his daughter about what she had said.

Chelsea added ‘Riley is currently over being upset about having no hair, minor bump in the road of life!’ She sees Dave pulling Riley over him to discuss what she had told her mom.

Dave asked his daughter, “How come you feel that way, huh?…You shouldn’t say things like that kiddo. You’re a very special girl.”

Dave stresses that everyone loves Riley and it doesn’t make any difference if she has hair or not.

Although Riley seems to be taking in what her dad is saying, she doesn’t perk up until he surprises her and offers to shave his head.

‘You want daddy to shave his head?’ he asks, and she replies with a nod. ‘Want me to do it right now? Okay, let’s go.’

Chelsea video-taped Dave shaving his head in the sink while Riley and his son watch in awe.

‘Do you want me to keep it like this? Dave asks Riley. ‘I’ll keep it just like this. Do you know why? Because it’s just hair kiddo. It doesn’t matter. Nobody cares about hair.’

Dad Shaves Head to Cheer Up Daughter Who Lost Hair to Alopecia

The doting dad even has Riley help him shave his head, and the little girl’s face brightens as she watches her dad in the bathroom mirror.

Chelsea shared the story on Facebook, where more than 37,000 people reacted. While she’s stunned that so many people responded to the video, she hopes it will help people better understand alopecia.

“I really wanted people to see Riley for who she is. The ups, the downs, the everything-in-between in dealing with alopecia,” she said. “We hope that other people might take a piece of that video and put it in a part of their own lives to make others feel loved and beautiful.”

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