How many times have you asked, “Why me? Why am I suffering with Alopecia?” I have lost count of the number of times I have asked this question. I can't keep track of all the reasons I’ve come up with that might have caused me to be met with this condition. If you haven’t done so already, you might want to read my discussion entitled Going Cold Turkey, in which I share how I tried just about everything to save my hair and eventually came to realize that having it shaved was my best option. Here is more on my journey…

It never dawned on me what impact shaving my hair would have on others until about 4 days after the big chop. One of my coworkers saw me from a distance and came rushing toward me. I felt that she was going to comment about my hair so I braced myself for the worst. Her words and her tears surprised me. She said, “I can't begin to tell you how it helped me the other day when you came to work with your hair cut. I will begin chemo next week and most likely will lose all of my hair. Seeing how beautiful you are with your hair cut has helped me more than you'll know. Thank you for cutting your hair.”

Because of my bold step to shave my hair, several weeks after she had begun receiving chemo, my coworker found the courage to shave her hair. To top that, several weeks later, a girl approached me in the break-room at work. She told me how much she likes my hair and went on to say that she suffers from Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder). She is now inspired to shave her hair.

Alopecia is an illness that takes a deep stab to one’s confidence and esteem. My heart goes out, and prayers up for those who are facing it, especially children. Yet, dealing with it myself, I can say, it truly has been a blessing using what was meant for bad for good - to inspire others.