Comment by kastababy on March 31, 2008 at 7:28pm

It has always amazed me that the ability to forget that something exists plays such a huge role in any type of healing process. However, I don't think it's so much about forgetting that the alopecia exists as much as it is that you just don't dwell on it anymore. How many of us dwell upon our eye color, or the tattoo on our arm, or the gap in our teeth? Living with alopecia is the same way. After a while, the way you see someone goes something like this: "Hmm, nice person -- blue eyes, amazing smile, cute little gap in their teeth, rockin dragon tattoo on the arm, bald head, hey, I wonder if they can tell a joke?" And you just don't dwell on what may or may not make them different. Quite honestly, IMHO, I don't think it was any business of the instructor to ask if anything was wrong with Tracey -- if something was wrong, I don't think you would have enrolled him in the class.

I commend you for being able to see beyond the alopecia -- now that you, as Tracey's mother, have begun to look past it, it will become easier for others to do so as well.

ROCK ON!!!

Comment by Cheryl, Co-founder on April 1, 2008 at 12:09am

I too forget about my alopecia. Quite a few years ago a friends husband was diagnosed with cancer and I went with her to "The Gilda House " (Gilda's House is a home, not residential, where people suffering from cancer and their families go to have fun and fellowship). Not even thinking about it , most of the people thought that she was there for me. It felt really trivial for me to sit and explain something as non-life threatening as my alopecia to the group, when I realized that they thought I was the one with cancer.

Comment by Cindy on April 1, 2008 at 8:42pm

Tracey sounds a lot like Samantha..He must be an amazing kid..I think it is fantastic that you have been able to move forward and not think about the Aleopica and see Tracey for who he is ..Hair or no hair our kids are the same person. To be frank I am still working on that myself. This AA is still all new to me and I have high hopes for regrowth in the future...Cindy

Comment by KIM - Jessica's Mom on February 22, 2009 at 9:16am

I sometimes forget too. Jessica wears a hat or wig most of the time when she is at school or out and about but it's the first thing she takes off when she comes home. The result of that is that people who know her pretty well are still shocked when they finally see her without her head covered. It always surprises me when they are surprised to see she hasn't any hair. She thinks it's funny!

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