Things have changed so much for me that most of the time I forget I even have alopecia. But I can assure you it has not always been that way.

I lost my hair 30 years ago. I have now lived my life more without my hair than with it. But at the same time, I clearly remember leaving the dermatologist's office and him telling me that I have alopecia and I should “just” buy a wig.  The struggle began.

Back 30 years ago just about everybody with alopecia was wearing a wig; men, women, and children. It took me close to 5 years to realize that wigs were definitely not going to work for me and my journey began as to how was I going to do this.

It was slow but deliberate. I slowly stopped wearing wigs at different places. The last 2 and hardest places to leave it behind was at work and dating. Dating and relationships took longer. But when you meet your soulmate, which I most certainly have, you know it.

As I have always said my Alopecia has NEVER been a problem with my husband, RJ Jones.  In fact, he helped me start www.AlopeciaWorld.com, which at the time was perhaps the first social media website centered around alopecia. 

I am not going to say it was easy. Anyone who has taken this journey knows how heart-wrenching this can be, whether you choose to wear a wig or not. I struggled my way through it, dealt with other people’s opinions, comments, ridicule, being mistaken as a male, and much more.

However, I knew what my end goal was and what it would take to make it. I eventually came to expect the comments; they became my healing. I was no longer running from people’s opinions of me. Rather, I was allowing myself to find the place that I no longer needed their approval.

I made it and my bald head is my victory dance!

How do you plan to raise some awareness to make it easier for the next generation?  What are your victories?

Views: 411

Comment by Patricia Gerbaud on January 31, 2022 at 7:56am

You said it all Cheryl ! You look great and feel great, that's the main thing.Feeling exactly the same. I don't know about you but I can't understand why people say I'm brave and why some wish me to have hair again. I don't feel brave at all, that's just how it is, I've known much harder things in my life, as for wishing hair again, I'm not sure about that, I used to have a real mane, don't want to have rats' tails as I had when I  started losing it, that was horrible. It will be 10 years for me at the end of this year, I've lived more years with hair than I should without ;). 

My victory is telling people I don't mind being seen with nothing on and telling them I'm sorry if they do feel unease seeing me like that ! Their problem, not mine. 

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