As my 50th birthday approached, I occasionally thought about the fact that much was about to change for me. I struggled with the thoughts of impending possibilities such as weight gain, wrinkles, aches and pains, and the gradual waning of my physical abilities. But I also thought about my journey with alopecia over the past 24 years.

With alopecia the questions were different: Would I find a mate? Would I ever feel like a woman again? Did my “beauty” fade away with my hair? But the root issue was still the same, fear of what was to become of me.

I thought about my alopecia and how it was not until I stood on the edge and jumped in that I was able to really start enjoying my life again. My natural reaction was fear and hiding, but I wanted to do it differently.

I wanted to find my way to feel like a woman, look into the mirror and see my inherent beauty, and trust that when someone told me that I was worthy they were telling me the truth. I wanted to feel free to be myself without worrying about what others thought of my bald patches or the fact that I've occasionally been mistaken for a man. I knew that a lot of men wouldn't be a attracted to me after I stopped wearing wigs to hide my alopecia, but I wanted to believe that the right one would.

When I started my journey with alopecia I was not sure of many of these things. However, as the years went by my thinking started to shift. I worked on my insecurities and challenged my thoughts. I tackled them from the inside and the outside by presenting myself in ways that made me feel strong, confident, and beautiful.

Now when my husband tells me he has a beautiful wife, I believe him. When I leave the house dressed up, I like what I see in the mirror. When I am with others, I trust that I am every bit as worthy as they are. I no longer believe that there are things that I cannot do because I lack hair. At this point, my hairlessness is irrelevant.

I want to jump into aging the same way I eventually jumped into my alopecia, only sooner. I don’t want to spend years in fear of what others are going to be thinking of my decisions or wanting one thing but doing another.

I want to age gracefully but still beautifully on my own terms. I want to trudge through snow and make snowmen with my grandson, cuddle with my husband to the wee hours of the night and still feel vibrant and sexy. I want to travel as much as we can and still continue to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Whatever decisions I make, I want to make for the right reasons and not out of fear.

I am ready to jump off the deep end and do all the things I believe are possible and even some that I believe are not. My alopecia has prepared me for this.

Cheryl Carvery-Jones

Co-Founder

AlopeciaWorld.com