“I covered all of the mirrors in my apartment and closed all of the blinds. I didn’t want to see my family or friends. I didn’t want anyone to be near me. I was so ashamed and disgusted with myself. My hair was my security blanket, but it was almost gone.”
‘My life was out of control. I drank as much as possible to escape. ‘Why is this happening to me?’ I only had half of my hair left, but I couldn’t give up.’: Woman with alopecia takes back her life, ‘I made myself a priority’
‘I felt my throat closing. ‘Buddy, the monster’s back. We have to fight him again.’ He gave me a fist bump. ‘We got this, Mama.’: Mom shares son’s journey battling Ewing’s Sarcoma twice
“We went to Urgent Care 11 times in a month. They kept sending us home. ‘We don’t know why he’s in pain.’ I was a nervous wreck. When we found it, the tumor was the size of a softball in his tiny body.”
‘Will I be able to have a family?’ The rooms were filled with old ladies. I knew in my gut it wasn’t good.’: Breast cancer survivor inspires others, ‘I look forward to a beautiful future’
“I saw the hospital number on my cell. I grabbed my phone. ‘Monique, I’m so, so sorry.’ Questions flooded my mind.”
‘It’s stage 4.’ What followed was brutal. My body was no longer my own and the pain was indescribable. I lost my identity.’: Cancer survivor births rainbow baby, ‘It was worth everything’
“I had to start chemo right away and didn’t have time to freeze my eggs. I was told, ‘Pregnancy might be difficult.’ I lost my long hair, my identity, and the life I had just grasped.”
‘There’s nothing else we can do.’ I lost my hair in handfuls at a time. It was hard to look in the mirror. I didn’t see the point in living.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘I’ll never take life for granted’
“I started to see bald patches on the back of my head. My legs and arms would ache so badly I felt like I would vomit. I lay on the couch, wondering why my body hated me so much. Every day, I woke up with one more symptom, one more medical bill.”
‘This is the best day of my life!’: Frozen’s Elsa and Anna deliver surprise wig to girl with Alopecia thanks to USPS worker’s kindness
“I’m not often moved to tears, but the way Caroline’s eyes lit up is something I will never forget.”
‘But I’m getting married!’ Our honeymoon was at the treatment center. Somehow I had become ‘the problem.’: Cancer survivor battles infertility, ‘This is the year we become parents’
“I didn’t understand what came out of her mouth after ‘hysterectomy.’ NO WAY! Not at the age of 30! I was the strong one, I refused to let anyone see my fear.”
‘Am I going to die?’ I woke to strands of hair on my pillow. My heart sunk. ‘I’m going to be bald.’ I lost my hair a week before prom.’: Teenager shares cancer journey, ‘It opened my eyes’
“I felt isolated from my friends. They viewed me as being fragile, but I was the same person as before. This shattered me. No matter what I did, I was always viewed as the cancer girl.”
‘Mama, I don’t want you to be sick.’ It stabbed me in the heart. ‘It’s going to be fixed.’ It was blow after blow.’: Woman battles breast cancer, ‘Tomorrow isn’t promised’
“I get emotional watching mothers with their kids on their wedding days, wondering if I’ll ever get the chance.”
‘You look like you’ve got a cancer patient. Who is going to pick YOU?’: Mom adopts daughter with alopecia and baby boy, ‘I’m in awe of my family’
“They melted and said, ‘Look at the joy in her face. If they love her, we know they’ll love our baby.’ They saw a family with differences and still chose us.”
