I finally have a little more time for Alopecia World now that GEMS is done (a girls group I volunteer with). It really is a shame life tends to get hectic from time to time and certain things that are close to your heart take a seat on the back burner. My heart has been filled with passion for so many things as of late and yet I haven't the time to do anything about it. I'd like to get back into hosting alopecia meetings, go on another mission (perhaps leading some youth), go white water…
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Added by Carol on May 12, 2011 at 9:00pm —
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I've been back in Canada for less than 48 hours and am feeling very overwhelmed! The type of life style lived in a 3rd world country is very different however in many ways the people are richer than we are. There is a general contentedness that is unexplainable. I was lucky to meet with several locals in Guatemala however there was one little fellow I met that…
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Added by Carol on January 31, 2011 at 4:00pm —
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In four days I will be leaving from Ontario, Canada to go to Nebaj, Guatemala on a mission trip. I may sound like some crazy religious person but I won't lie when I say it is God's will that I am going there. Ever since I felt I wanted to go, everything has fallen into place and I feel compelled - I have to do this! What made me want to post though was the fact that some of us with alopecia (especially newbies) are so absorbed with our hairloss and changing image that we tend to lose focus on…
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Added by Carol on January 15, 2011 at 1:17pm —
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Not sure how many of you have heard but the well known Gail Porter who had sported a full head of short blond hair this past summer after a bout with alopecia since 2005 is now experiencing hair loss again. The article was posted at
www.dailymail.co.uk (search for the latest news about Gail Porter) and focuses on alopecia being caused by stress (which still has not been proven and is believed to be a doctor's excuse for not knowing the cause). Apart from…
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Added by Carol on November 30, 2010 at 4:28pm —
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Last night was our first missionary meeting. From January 19 to 29, 2011 I will be heading to Nebaj, Guatemala. I had been asked by a coworker prior to the meeting why I would go to another country to help people when there are people here that need help. After the meeting I now know how to answer that question - because they need it more! The rivers are apparently filled with waste from a very primitive sewage system and there is garbage everywhere because the only dump is in Guatemala city…
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Added by Carol on October 28, 2010 at 9:00pm —
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I just registered with Missionary Ventures Canada to head over to Guatemala in January for 10 days. The purpose of the trip is to help finish constructing a church and putting a roof on it. I'll be working hard and paying for a portion of the trip myself however there will be a fair deal of fund-raising going on. Everything happens for a reason and I think that God has a plan for each and everyone of us. Today God combined the idea of my missionary venture and my alopecia, he was even gracious…
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Added by Carol on October 24, 2010 at 2:52pm —
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Way back in the spring I had been so proud of myself for finding some really super cheap foam heads to put my wigs on. I hardly wear wigs so it's important for them to keep their shape for the off chance that I do feel like wearing one. My bedroom isn't the largest and my space is a little compromised so I took the cowboy hat off my TV (even though it was really cool cause sometimes it looked like the actor was wearing it when they do close ups of their faces) and placed my hairy heads there…
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Added by Carol on October 15, 2010 at 9:16am —
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This economy and trying to find a job has me in the dumps! I've had a fair share of interviews, no takers, and although I know I am my worst enemy and that it's all in my head I keep reverting to what I strive to keep at bay normally. POSITIVITY! Of course I can't read minds either but I keep feeling that I'm being rejected for my appearance and not my skills - I'm a jack of all trades, master of none. I've been a welder, tour guide, retail manager, shipper/receiver, inventory control, machine…
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Added by Carol on September 28, 2010 at 11:15am —
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a relatively new psychology method to help people deal with issues in their lives. I encourage those who are having a hard time coping with their hairloss to research this method of therapy. "Get Out Of Your Mind And Into Your Life" and "The Happiness Trap" are two of a few books on this topic and there is plenty of information online about it. Psychologically speaking I've never found doctors very helpful in aiding their patients cope but this method…
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Added by Carol on September 16, 2010 at 2:12pm —
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Nothing warms my heart more than someone wanting to shave their head to support people with medical hairloss. I was thinking of a simple enough event I could hold in honour of alopecia awareness month. Needless to say my time is running short for planning an event but if not in September, it will be done at least in time for me to fundraise for my missionary venture to Guatemala in February. My issue comes not from planning an event but from an extraordinary request from my 9 year old daughter.…
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Added by Carol on September 4, 2010 at 10:26pm —
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The focus of this past Sunday's sermon was about being content and I really appreciated the pastor's effort to open people's eyes and minds. In today's society many people seem geared to see with their minds instead of their hearts and quite often people have to surpass obstacles and challenges in order to fully understand what I'm talking about. A young man named Liu Wei from China who had lost his arms in a childhood accident inspired the sermon after an incredible performance on China's Got…
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Added by Carol on August 30, 2010 at 4:06pm —
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Okay, okay!! I know I haven't been here much at all over the past few months but I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. You know how it is, life just keeps handing you more and more until your hands are so full then suddenly you're 3 years old again having to keep picking up the same darn ball you keep dropping (which is incredibly funny to watch however very frustrating to experience - especially when you realize what's going on).
I moved at the end of March so it's…
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Added by Carol on June 21, 2010 at 8:08pm —
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I joined in a conversation between my friend and another woman after church one day. They were discussing pottery techniques and the woman mentioned something about adding butterflies to her work, she loves butterflies. I mentioned that the butterfly was a symbol that some people associate with alopecia. Now my one friend was well aware of my alopecia and is very supportive however this other woman didn't have a clue and it didn't occur to me at the time that it would raise questions. Well it…
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Added by Carol on March 22, 2010 at 10:08am —
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I know that there are a few people here who love quotes as much as me and these are just a few which I've found recently that I really liked and wanted to share...
"Braiding your hair doesn't make you beautiful. Wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes doesn't make you beautiful. Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like that doesn't fade away. God placed great value on it." 1 Peter 3:3-4
"Never discourage anyone who…
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Added by Carol on February 1, 2010 at 4:42pm —
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Hope is a very powerful ingredient in one's life however so is a realistic point of view. I can hope that today will be a sunny day, I can hope that I'll find the greatest man on earth and I could certainly hope that my hair would come back BUT (and that's a big but) reality must come into play at some point here. Hope will not change the forcast for the day or bring me that great man and hope has nothing to do with making my hair come back. Hope is like daydreaming or wishing. Now
I'm not… Continue
Added by Carol on January 22, 2010 at 9:27am —
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Last week I attended a meditation workshop. I've meditated for several years on my own accord and figured the workshop would teach me something new. First off we sat around and talked about stress and meditation, something I was already quite aware of. Stress is generally the source of changes in diet, sleep patterns and tension which lead to other health problems such as obesity/malnutrition, fatigue, heart attacks, and weak immune systems which make us prone to infections and disease. Knowing…
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Added by Carol on January 19, 2010 at 4:44pm —
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Rather than send out an email to all those on my friend's list I thought I would post a blog for everyone to read. I grew up with alopecia and found it very difficult to cope with. Even my parents has a hard time knowing what to say or do. I urge you all to make a difference in an alopecian child's life by helping them attend a conference specifically for children with alopecia and their parents by visiting the link below and making a small donation to our cause. Read the information I've…
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Added by Carol on January 8, 2010 at 1:16pm —
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I have been doing a daily blog on another website lately but this is totally alopecia related and I'm kind of excited about this new information I thought I'd share it with my Alopecia World family! Over the last year or so I've come into contact with my biological family, I was adopted at birth and my aunt just told me the coolest thing today. Apparently I look and act very much like my grandmother in certain ways who has unfortunately passed away now but the coolest part is is that she too…
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Added by Carol on December 19, 2009 at 4:17pm —
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I found an article that hits right on the nose for me about female bullying and how it is different than the way boys or even men bully each other. I thought it was very interesting because of everything I am going through right now and if any other women or girls are having a problem with another female pushing you around or out of your social circle or treating you unfairly then you may want to read this article yourself. It may just apply!
The results of female bullying can be…
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Added by Carol on December 3, 2009 at 2:14pm —
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To those that actually keep up on my sporatic blogs and more specifically those who were interested in the discrmination lawsuit against my old workplace, I finally got a response!! After a two week delay, I finally have it and these people haven't the slightest clue! They mentioned things that I had apparently said but didn't, things I had done but had permission to do and here's the biggest kick in the pants: I wasn't given my promotion because they hired someone else out of prejudice…
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Added by Carol on November 3, 2009 at 4:07pm —
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