Taking a stand against bullying

The first time I saw a photo of Camille Paddock, I thought, what a nice smile.

It wasn’t until closer examination that I realized she had only one eyebrow.

Now something like that can be noticed by an adult and it might trigger curiosity, but that’s about it. Not so with children. They see something different, and too often unless adults step in, they zero in on it and can be just merciless.

That’s what happened to the 15-year-old Paddock, who lives in the northwest suburbs. Hers is a story of remarkable resilience that other kids need to hear.

Paddock was in fourth grade when she developed alopecia, an incurable condition that causes hair loss. Without warning Paddock would lose patches of hair.

Once the bullying over her appearance started, it went on through fourth grade and most of middle school, according to Paddock.

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