I figured the best way to really start out this very simple weblog was to share my own story. I was diagnosed at the age of three or four with alopecia areata. By kindergarten, I was wearing a wig (picture included) because my mother wanted me to “fit in” with the other kids… Let’s be real… look at the picture… it was OBVIOUSLY a wig! I had no eyebrows, very little eyelashes, and virtually no hair on my head to speak of. My school years were spent with and without hair. My schoolmates never knew exactly why and sometimes they would make up stories like I had leukemia or a horrible freak accident with a fan (that was always my favorite).
By my senior year in high school, this is what I looked like… the best hair EVER! But to be honest, I still wasn’t a very happy person. I still felt as though my HAIR was what made me a person…
Fast forward almost twenty years (oh my, am I really that old?) and I have lost and regrown my hair more times than I care to count. But I’ve finally come to a place where my hair isn’t ME… It isn’t what makes ME a person… a woman… My one true wish for women like me is that you realize that no matter the reason for losing your hair… you CAN be feminine, you CAN be a vital part to society, you CAN be successful… with or without hair…
Cheryl Carvery said
I totally agree with you on femininity, Back in June 2007 I posted a blog entitled “Naturally Me” and another one “What does it mean to be a woman” and I stated some of the same things. Yes, we may have to work a little bit harder at re-determining what feminine is, but it has been the most rewarding experience of my life. Keep it up, more people have to hear it.
Take care,
Cheryl Carvery
http://www.alopeciaandlove.com
http://www.qaaf.ca
Henry Switzer said
Hair loss is no fun. I have had alopecia for years and here is a bit of information for those who also have this conditon. When you have alopecia areata the affected hair follicles are mistakenly attacked by a person’s own white blood cells or immune system, which results in the arrest of the hair growth stage. When you have Alopecia, it usually starts with one or numerous round small bald patches on the scalp and can actually progress to a total loss of hair on your head, or a complete loss of body hair.Alopecia areata can occur in almost anyone, male or female, and all races. Beginning in childhood, this annoying hair disease can be psychologically devastating. Thankfully, alopecia is not life-threatening, but can certainly alter your lifestyle with its sudden onset, and the frequency of reoccurring episodes can be immensely annoying.