Falling in love with me.
Words by Talei Ewing
7 years ago when I was told I had Alopecia I truly thought I was going to loose my identity, but in return I gained a better understanding of who I am. I will forever remain grateful for my differences & highlight them as opposed to hiding them.
Growing up I didn’t care for my freckles and my father would tell me all the time, “freckles are angel kisses." Remembering that our differences are admired can help us learn to love every bit of them.
Alopecia is an autoimmune disease. It just means your body is confused. My body is tricked into thinking my hair follicles are foreign so white blood cells are sent to attack and the hair falls out 2% of the world carries this specific autoimmune disease. Each individual with Alopecia has their own story and connection to it. I can only speak on my experience.
The very beginning days were dark, lonesome, and hopeless. I felt so ashamed to look into a mirror and see missing patches from my head. Taking a shower and washing my hair with clumps shedding out each time I touched it. Brushing my hair and seeing the many long strands that now laid in the bristles. I was heartbroken. For years before that I spent time, money, and effort to get my hair to be the longest it had ever been and now my body was confused and it was stripping me of my favorite accessory. But just like any good love story when the woman is at her lowest she realizes her true love. I fell in love with myself. This disorder wasn’t stripping me of my identity, it was giving me a chance to learn who I truly was. From this point I knew I had to wear these spots proudly, and the feeling of acceptance of others wasn’t going to power my self worth. The crazy thing of all this, these missing spots from my head weren’t being rejected at all, people loved them.
So I stand here today with a shaved head to fully expose these beautifully placed missing patches. To share my story, to educate others that are not aware of this disorder. To show the ones that have alopecia how beautiful it can be when you wear your differences loudly.
Today Autoimmune diseases are becoming more Prevalent in our world. So many different disorders are put under the umbrella of Autoimmune disease. Some come with health problems, physical pain, emotion struggle, whatever it is, it never comes easy. One thing is true though, as we share our stories we can put the puzzle pieces together.
Things that are misunderstood can start to make sense as we tell our stories. Not one person should feel ashamed of the things that make them unique.
Talei Ewing (@ta.lei_e). #alopecia #womenstories #120film .
