When I was a young girl I had long, thick, wavy brunette hair. It was so thick my mom used to ask hairdressers to "thin it out". Then at age 21 people began to point out a little thin spot in the center of my head near the front which grew progressively worse and worse. Of all the things I could have inherited from my dad, male pattern baldness would not have been my first choice.

Ten years before Rogaine was ever approved by the FDA for the treatment of hair loss I was already well on my way to looking like a cancer survivor. Those who have a normal head of hair can not relate to the absolute low self-esteem, humiliation and sense of personal ugliness a woman feels in losing her "crowning glory". For over 20 years I sought the help of doctors with very limited and short-lived results; spending money in a desperate attempt to save my hair or grow it back to a level that wouldn't be so embarrassing. Nothing worked and this past year it had gotten to the point where I have actually felt ashamed to be seen in public. In the past 20 years I have stared longingly at the hair of other women who didn't suffer with my problem; wishing with all my heart I could just have a "normal" head of hair. I've also noticed a lot more women walking around with my problem and I feel for their heartbreak. Having no hair may not seem as "tragic" in the vast scene of things when compared to perhaps suffering with a long-term chronic illness (which I have done) but it definitely takes a long-term toll on your sense of self-esteem. It's a horrible feeling to hate looking at yourself in the mirror because you feel so ugly.

God has blessed me in many abundant ways; not least of which has been a good-looking husband who loved me despite my lack of hair; weight gain, and a disease which necessitated the re-routing of my internal plumbing. To say that I felt like "damaged goods" would have been an understatement.

This past month God did something wonderful and He used two different, unrelated people to bring me the help I needed. The first was my family counselor who told me about a beautician in Newport Beach who had suffered the loss of all her hair from alopecia and created a hair system for women like me. I nodded my head then did nothing about it for weeks. Seeing that I wasn't getting the hint, He then used another friend who told me about this same woman a few weeks later and this time I paid attention. Two different sources about the same woman...I figured it had to be a God thing.

So I called and made the appointment and I'm so glad I did. Nazy Curtis has made a new woman out of me. I no longer feel like the ugly duckling because of my "chemo patient" thinning hair. Best of all; my insurance even covers the expense! She gave me a head of hair that makes me feel attractive again and feminine. Had my hair not ever gone thin in the first place; I would like to think this is what it would have looked like.

My husband is still having a hard time getting used to the new look. He feels like he's "cheating" on his wife but I'm sure as time goes by the hair will "grow" on him.

So below are my childhood pics, then some before and after; as you can see the difference in striking. Thank you, Lord, for telling me about Nazy Curtis! Thank you for giving me this much needed boost.

In the next week she will be using me as a "model" in a video where I will get my hair and make-up done up as a bride. It just so happens that my husband and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year so once I get a copy of the video, I'll post it on my blog and Facebook.

If you would like to watch an interview about my experience that will appear on KCAL9 "America's Best", just click on the video below.

Age 13:

Age 22:

Age 25:

Age 51 (the day before I got my hair):

The new me with a GLORIOUS head of hair! What a difference!

If you want to see a video where I was interviewed by our local tv affiliate, you can watch it here:

If any of you llive in Southern California and have experienced the devastation of hair loss, please see Nazy! Her salon is in Newport Beach across from Fashion Island. Her website is: http://hairforhairloss.com/

You can "like" her on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/AmaniHair?sk=wall