One Mystery Solved

The exact cause of Alopecia Areata is still unknown and most lean toward heredity as a major factor. My family always had one question, "Where did she get Alopecia?" No one else exhibited hair loss and my older relatives could remember no distant figure with the condition.

An unsolved mystery until a casual conversation between my aunt and her cousin. My third cousin had just experienced complete hair loss and was diagnosed for the first time with Alopecia Areata. Unlike myself, who was diagnosed in childhood, my cousin experienced his first loss in his late twenties. His grandmother and my grandfather were siblings, and now for the first time I discovered that my autoimmune disease was truly hereditary.

The fact that my cousin and I are experiencing baldness at the same time is hard to believe. I wonder how my great-great-...relative, whoever he or she maybe, dealt with hair loss centuries ago.

Nice Perspective

Shortly after I lost all my hair, a friend sent me this email forward. The story has been sent to me several times since and is a nice life perspective. Enjoy.



There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and she only had 3 hairs on her head. Well, she said I think I'll braid my hair today. And she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and she saw she had only 2 hairs on her head. Well she said, I think I will part my hair down the middle today, and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and had only 1 hair on her head. Well, she said I think I will wear my hair in a ponytail today, and she had a fun fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed she had NOT one single hair on her head. Yea, she exclaimed.. I don't have to fix my hair today.

Attitude is everything, Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, and Speak Kindly.. Leave the rest to faith or God..

Wedding Wig

The wig worked very well for the wedding. Noone but close friends knew that I had lost my hair. I found myself very concious of the wigs position. I adjusted its postion often and went to the restroom several times to check on how I looked. This was the first, and one of the few, events I would wear the wig. The disguise kept me away from awkward conversations with people I rarely see, but in every day life I choose to go natural.

Ice Breaker

A lot of my friends and I have moved away from each other since school. With a houndstooth hat covering my smooth head and my wig packed away, I boarded a plane for a friend's wedding. This would be the first time that one of my best friend's would see me since the hair loss. She is always supportive of my crazy adventures, but I do not think she knew exactly what I would look like.

Our meeting at the airport was perfectly normal. Most people that have not seen me in a while do not know quite what to say about my condition. I look the same and yet I am missing my thick head of hair. We drove to her place talking like we had never been apart, and yet there was little discussion about how I looked.

Then, a funny moment broke the ice. She lived in a third floor apartment and on the second flight of stairs we passed a man who gave us a funny look. Here I was, the bald girl, lugging a big piece of luggage while my friend had only a little purse in hand. Once in the apartment, we laughed hysterically wondering what the guy was thinking. ‘Why would that girl make the poor cancer patient carry a heavy bag up three flights of stairs?’

A Boyfriend's Surprise

On a warmer than usual day in January, I decided to go to the river walk with my boyfriend. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had shaved his head. I never prompted him to follow in my new look. Despite spending a lot of work hours outside, he kept a fresh shave throughout the cold winter. We are no longer together, but the sentiment of him shaving his head perfectly describes his attitude toward my Alopecia. I will always be thankful for having such a great boyfriend during my stages of hair loss.