Well here is my story I hope it helps someone realize that Alopecia should not become a crutch or a burden. We all should also realize it affects the ones we love or love us much more than it does us.

I began to lose my hair at the age of 2 at that time I was growing up in Mexico and my mother just emigrated to the USA. I lived with my grandparents who really were supportive and loved me very much. At the age of 6 my mother sent for me and I had a rough time dealing with the move. I did not really notice that my hair was missing I had patches then and they always had a hat on me plus I was with all the people that grew up with me. When I arrived in Chicago I was very upset because I missed the people who raised me I did not speak the language and lived in a inner city neighborhood. My parents both worked so I had to fend for myself alot of the time. There was no political correctness then so the kids were brutal with my alopecia and my language barriers. I began blaming my mother telling her that I hated that first she abandoned me and subsequently displaced me from the life I knew. She began blaming herself thinking that she may have caused my hair loss. So she started all the home remedies she heard of (Now I can laugh about it it was not as fun at the time) From putting cow dung on my head to stewed tomatoes or anything else people would suggest. Finally she took my to the university of Chicago were I proceeded to become their guniea pig. I was given injections of who knows what put into ultraviolet rooms to name a few things this went on for 3 years and my hair loss just became worse. By this time I hated my mother and blamed her for the hair loss and everything she had put me thru up to that point in my life. I also began having problems at school with fighting I could not stand people making fun of me or others and I did not care if I got beat up which I did on most occasions I made sure they knew that it was not tolerated. I was lucky enough to have a great staff of people at the school who helped me from the principal, vice principal and teachers that knew I was not an instigator but that I would not take abuse. After a few years I had great relationships with many of the local kids I was always the youngest most of my friends were usually older and it still is the case. I also was a latchkey kid who took care of himself most of the time while my parents worked long hours. At that time I also dealt with some physical and metal abuse from my mother and step father. In those days it was not as frowned upon as it is now, not to say I did not deserve some forms of punishment but my step father was not very easy on me. Again I had become comfortable in my surroundings and my hair was not really an issue for me. I never saw other people for the color of their skin what they looked like I just saw them for who they were and I thank alopecia for that. Just as I was settling in my parents purchased a house in a suburb 25 miles from where we lived I was 12 years old in the seventh grade and again I was uprooted from my comfort zone. Things were more difficult because at that time I began noticing girls and now I started becoming more aware of my hair loss and it affected me. They also enrolled me into a Catholic school and began putting pressure on me to do well because they were paying for school. I was not allowed to play sports because it would take time from my school work which bothered me because I loved to play any sport. Also playing sports I did not have to face the opposite sex which I was terrified of. I became very angry then because of the changes my hair so I threw myself at God, I then wanted to become a priest. And began preaching to everyone about how they should lead their lives. I will finish up later I have to run....