I was diagnosed with alopecia areata, aged 11 in my final year of primary school. Obviously, a thing no pre-teen about to go into the big scary world of high school wants to hear, finding out you’re losing your hair and there’s nothing you can do about it.  

Finding out this news was really upsetting for little me, as if I wasn’t already anxious enough starting high school I now had a visible difference to worry about! My biggest fear was someone finding out; I had thick long hair that could conceal my bald patches when I styled it or wore head coverings, so I often worried about my hair being out of place, exposing me with this secret.

I first found out about Alopecia UK from my GP on the day of my diagnosis, as me and my mum sat doing a big Google on what help and support was out there. It felt weird, feeling too old to be in support groups with younger kids and not old enough to find support from adult groups; almost as if I couldn’t find my place within the alopecia community.

However, a couple years after my diagnosis, I heard about an opportunity to join the Youth Voice Board, a brand-new group Alopecia UK was setting up to, well, give the youth a voice! Not only did it feel lovely to have my opinions listened to and have action taken about them, but it was such a joy to bond and connect with the others members of this group, and although we were all connected by this condition, we soon learned that we had so much more in common and became fast friends!  

The Youth Voice Board helped me find such a big confidence in myself, making it feel like my opinions and experience were valued and had the potential to impact the lives of others. My favourite memory with the Youth Voice Board is meeting some of my fellow members in person on my first Alton Towers trip with the charity in 2022. Meeting these people I had spent hours and hours talking to online in real life, seeing people like me within the community, and being given the opportunity to speak alongside them in delivering a speech at the event, it truly felt like I was part of something special. 

Alopecia UK gave me a space to make me feel like my feelings and opinions mattered, and as a Youth Voice Board Member, I really do feel like I’m making a positive impact on young people with alopecia. Without this group and the friends I’ve made through the charity, I never would have had the confidence to shave my head, taking control of my alopecia, and now I proudly leave the house with my beautiful bald head every day! 

Deciding whether or not to shave my head was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. On the one hand, I had a head of hair, patchy or not. On the other hand, I couldn’t bear watching more and more hair fall out over time. I almost felt guilty in shaving my head, feeling like I didn’t have “enough” alopecia to justify the change. Despite the big decison, shaving my head in 2023, aged 15, is one of the best I’ve ever made. I feel like such a burden has been lifted! I no longer dread brushing my hair or showering, worried about how much hair I’m about to see fall out, and I’m very proud to have my patches and my bald head on show!

It’s crazy to think this year I’m an adult, and when I was little I never pictured myself turning 18 with no hair, but I honestly think I wouldn’t be who I am without my alopecia, and I certainly wouldn’t have been as confident without this incredible charity. I love my bald head, and the journey I’ve been on with alopecia. That’s not to say I’ve not had my down days, but my hair loss is a huge part of who I am. I think it’s very easy to focus on the negative sides of having alopecia, but I really believe I’ve put such a positive spin on it, embracing it within my identity and finding the most supportive community around it. I find a lot of people pin the word “suffer” with this condition, but I think I, and many others with the support from Alopecia UK, thrive with it!