KNOXVILLE (WATE) – An East Tennessee fifth grader shared a special connection with University of Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
Riley Ripley is a huge University of Tennessee fan and Dobbs is her favorite. She says it is because he is a great person on and off the field and shows her that she can do anything she puts her mind to.
However, it wasn’t until she saw a photo of Dobbs that the 11-year-old realized she has something in common with her favorite football player. “He had some hair, but what really made me know is he had no eyebrows,” said Ripley. “It was really cool to think a pro-athlete, like really famous, had the same thing I did, because at first I thought I was the only person.”
At four-years-old, Ripley started losing her hair. By nine it was gone.
“I got to third grade, I would play with my hair, I would twirl it and I would pull my hand down and chunks would just come out.in huge pieces I was scared at first, because I didn’t know what was happening,” said Ripley.
Ripley was diagnosed with alopecia, a condition that occurs when your immune system attacks hair follicles. Going back to school was scary for her.
“I was nervous because I was afraid everyone was going to make fun of me, because I was the only girl that everyone knew of that had no hair,” said Ripley. When she saw a close-up shot of Dobbs, showing he was missing hair too, she was inspired.
Ripley decided to write Dobbs a letter asking him about if he was worried about people making fun of him. A few weeks later she got a note back, signed by Joshua Dobbs.
“He said I’m just like you, I have alopecia and I don’t worry about anybody because those people I just can’t pay attention to them,” said Ripley.
Watching Dobbs achieve so much on and off the field gives Riley confidence. “It shows me that no matter what you h ave you can be what you want to be and do what you want to do,” she said.
The Morristown fifth grader said she hopes to meet her hero somebody, although she admits she’s a little nervous. WATE 6 On Your Side reached out to Dobbs, but he is it out of town on spring break.
