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Permalink Reply by Mandy on June 16, 2008 at 11:53am

Oh it certainly has made me stronger. I'm still new to AA and already I feel that it has made me a stronger person than I was before.

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Permalink Reply by Suze on June 18, 2008 at 7:18pm

If it has, I am not aware of it. I lost 50% of my hair, shaved off the rest and got a great "hair system". To the outside world it seemed like I got a flattering new hairstyle. I really didn't miss a step. It still is very much my secret though. The fact that I didn't have to face the world with a physical feature that set me apart from others protected me from dealing with their reactions. Losing eyebrows and eyelashes could change things considerably for me I imagine.

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Permalink Reply by Kate on June 27, 2008 at 10:30am

Hey there,
I would say that it made me realise the strength I already had, having never really been tested before. I cried my eyes out on the day when I thought 'So much hair has now come out I need to start wearing scarves', I sat in my bed and mass emailed all my colleagues so that the next day when I turned up for work with a hippy-like scarf on they did not wonder what was going on. After that I have just gotten on with it. That was in March and I now have hardly a single hair left...I'm AU. I haven't changed, I just appreciate how strong and confident I am, something I never really thought about before. Also, I hate moaners, so am of the opinion that as long as I am not ill then I will be fine. Lots of people out there are much worse off than me, so I am still smiling... A LOT!
Kx

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Permalink Reply by Zoey on July 1, 2008 at 2:51pm

Heck yea... I had to change the way I think about lots of stuff..

All of the steps through my life and the blessing to my AU has made me a much stronger person.

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Permalink Reply by Dominique on July 3, 2008 at 7:46pm

I think for me it's a very specific kind of strength - it's a strength that is aimed directly at telling myself that despite not having hair, I'm beautiful, I'm attractive, boys like me, I dont need to hide and it can't stop me doing anthing.

I do also think that it has at times made me weaker. I sometimes allow myself to use it as an excuse not to do things - like in highschool when my mates went to the beach, I didn't want to go because I didn't want to take my hat off. It's also very easy for me to feel down on myself - and make excuses for mistakes I make that are probably more a result of weakness of character, than having alopecia.
All it takes is one bad day and the random thought that I'm a bald freak pops into my head. Even after being bald my entire life, I still go through stages where I don't want to leave the house.

I've had a number of people tell me I'm amazingly strong, and I don't disbelieve them.. alopecia has changed my life. I'm more accepting of others than I think I otherwise would have been, I have a great empathy for anyone from any minority group, and I'm sure there's an inner strength that I wouldn't have had.

However - I struggle to try and effect that strength in other areas of my life. I'm starting to apply it though, knowing I have dealt with alopecia for 23 years, and finally starting to realise the enormity of that for me - is helping.

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Permalink Reply by Lori D. on July 6, 2008 at 9:15am

I've had this for 37 years and I can say that YES it has absolutely made me stronger. My childhood and adolescent years were pretty awful but living through what I still remember as hell has toughened me up for sure. Now I look at it as the hand I've been dealt and that's it. In my case, it won't change much, I have a little hair on the scalp but I don't think I'll ever have a full head of hair. I'm different from every member of my family...no one is as adventurous as I. My husband worries because I'm not afraid of anything and well, he thinks I should be! It's kind of weird thinking about how I've evolved...as a kid, I was afraid of people and situations; most kids were very mean to me so I avoided everyone. Now, I wouldn't hurt a fly but I deal with everything straight on. So Yes, I'm definitely stronger. My thoughts.

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