2025 Spring Sports Preview: Ridgeline senior soccer player André Chaker doesn’t let potential stigma of alopecia slow him down

André Chaker is not like the other kids at Ridgeline High School. With a college soccer scholarship in hand to Northwest Nazarene, the 2024 Greater Spokane League leading scorer demands attention.

In the Falcons’ first game of the season against Gonzaga Prep on March 12, Chaker’s name was often heard all around the field as the Bullpups exhausted resources trying to keep tabs on the senior.

“It definitely boosts the confidence, but it’s also a little frustrating,” Chaker said. “They know I’m a dangerous guy and I can do certain things.”

Some of those things include holding up play, and finding his teammates making runs in behind the defense – like fellow senior forward Abdul Umar-Nasir.

But the challenging play on the pitch doesn’t match the challenge Chaker had growing up with a misunderstood condition.

Chaker was diagnosed with alopecia areata when he was in the fifth grade, which brings a different sort of attention toward the striker, but it is attention that he doesn’t shy away from at this point in his life.

Alopecia areata is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles, causing patchy hair loss.

“For me, I have alopecia. I don’t have hair, but there’s somebody else who’s in a hospital bed killing to be in my position,” he said. “It’s not as bad as it seems, although it does have its struggles mentally, for sure. But it’s like my religion – my alopecia shaped me into the person I am today, and has only made me stronger, even in my weakest moments.”

Some of those weaker moments have come with his mom Cori by his side, along with his father Francois and sister Ava. Those moments are fewer and farther between as he gets older, but there were times that were extremely tough.

“There are insecurities for sure,” he said. “You’re in middle school and people are looking at you like ‘Why does this kid have patches of hair gone,’ or ‘Why is he bald?’ You have to learn when you have something like that, just to embrace it and be yourself.”

Chaker is thankful he promised himself he’d never wear a wig because he said it helped mold himself into being comfortable in his own skin and with who he is.

Ridgeline coach Ernie Merino said it’s a sign of Chaker’s maturity and perspective on life.

“He never is like, ‘I have to wear a hat,’ or ‘I have to hide’ or ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ ” Merino said. “He’s never once made it bigger than it needed to be,” he said. “He’s never, in fact, never used it as an excuse.”

André’s mom, Cori Chaker remembers the day he was diagnosed by a dermatologist. The doctor was quick to establish the cause of the hair loss, but the confirmation was no relief to the Chaker family.

“It was extremely difficult,” she said.

And when the doctor said it wasn’t curable, the family went to work.

“I made him go on this huge, crazy autoimmune diet,” she said. “It completely changed the way our family eats. It kind of transformed the whole family and we’re all a lot healthier for it.”

“In our family, when we get hit with extremely difficult things, we kind of bear down and try and figure them out.”

Chaker said that without his family being with him every step of the way, he isn’t sure where he would be. His mom said that when their family has been hit with difficult things in the past, they bear down and work together as a family to get through them.

For the past seven years, the Chaker’s have tried solution, after solution, after solution, praying for and supporting their son through normal and trivial life circumstances.

Chaker pointed to his mom specifically for moments that she has guided him.

“My mom’s helped me while I was crying, and she’s helped me while I was smiling, same with my dad and my sister, they’ve been great,” he said.

With everything, Chaker and his family have leaned on their religious beliefs through the trying times of an uncurable situation.

It’s like my rock, in a way,” Chaker said. “It’s what I lean on in hard times. So if I’m being tested, I’m like, ‘What would Jesus do in this situation?’ And it’s gotten me through some hard times in my life.”

Chaker has used the diagnosis as motivation throughout his life, not allowing it to drag him down on his way to his successes.

His mom said that somehow, the diagnosis has helped build his confidence.

“It’s been a difficult thing for our family, but it’s also been a very, very beautiful thing, because I have watched my son transform into such a strong man because of it,” she said.

On the soccer pitch, Chaker has unwavering confidence as he said he is more comfortable taking other players on one-on-one with both his pace and his strength. When he feels the need to take someone on and score, he usually does.

Now in his fourth season, Merino said his skill just forces other teams to focus on him for 90 minutes.

But it isn’t just what he does on the ball, but also off it.

His penetrating runs, both real and dummy, keep the defense wondering what his next move will be.

Merino said it helps the younger players see how they can impact the game without putting the ball in the back of the net.

It’s the same story in practice, Merino said. Over the years, Merino knows senior stars will take their foot off the gas during training, but Chaker uses that time to hone his abilities while leading by example. For a coach who has built this program from scratch, it has been huge to have a player like Chaker as the poster child, especially with the roster churning that happened this season.

Ridgeline lost seven starters and 13 total players and of those, two (Braylon Helm-Renz and Caden Thompson) were first-team all-GSL players and were named to the all-state team.

But still there is still danger in the form of Chaker who Merino said has a fantastic shot, even in traffic.

“He’s unafraid of that stuff,” Merino said. “I love that, it makes him a little more special.”

Merino called Chaker a genuine old soul in the sense that he doesn’t get caught up in the stereotypical high school drama.

“He’s just so focused and he’s such a character,” Merino said. “At one point in our conversations, he said, ‘If my life becomes something other than soccer, if I don’t go forward with soccer, I’m still going to have a good life.’”

“He’s a rare cat, and gosh, love the kid for many reasons,” Merino said.