“My right implant had ruptured and was leaking. Then, just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, my guy of 4 years walked out on me; he couldn’t handle all of it anymore. I lost most of my own breasts, then my partner, and now my ovaries were shutting down, too.”
‘I received a recall letter in the mail from the manufacturer of my implants.’: Mom of 4 details sudden journey with breast implant illness, pre-menopause, alopecia, and separation all in same year
‘A car of teenage boys drove past and yelled out, ‘Ugly!’ I was embarrassed and felt HIDEOUS.’: Young woman battles alopecia, ‘I’ve become a glass half-full kind of girl’
“I hadn’t anticipated being SO upset by the sound of the hair being cut. I couldn’t be strong anymore. I really, really cried.”
‘Oh my God! There’s another one here!’ I thought she was just mocking me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.’: Single teen mom raises awareness about alopecia, ‘You are not alone’
“I went speechless. They were scared to tell anybody because people would make fun of them. Our imperfections don’t define us.”
‘I was getting my son off the bus when he handed me a pink folder and flowers. ‘This is from all the kids, mom!’ I sobbed.’: Mom battling cervical cancer thanks bus driver for act of kindness
“On top of a pandemic, I heard the words I’d hoped to never hear: ‘Your cancer is back.’ It seems my son had been talking about how much he missed me on his school bus each time I went to the hospital. Mrs. Hammonds went above and beyond to make us feel so special and loved.”
‘The doctor entered the room, crying. ‘We found masses all over.’: Woman diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma wants to ‘change the way the world sees cancer’
“The oncologist described it as the ‘good cancer.’ Then in the same breath, he said I had 7 months to live. It didn’t seem very ‘good’ to me.”
‘People will think you have cancer if you wear a headscarf.’ I lost half my hair in 3 months.’: Woman with alopecia embraces baldness
“There was hair on my pillow. I had to unclog the shower after each use. I’d be cooking and just see hair fall to the counter. I took the plunge.”
‘I had a once in a lifetime, freak emergency. When I tell doctors what happened, they don’t believe me.’: Chronic illness warrior urges ‘hold on to joy’
“I had severe pain on my right side that wouldn’t go away. I was taken to the ICU, where the fight of my life began. I was hospitalized for over 40 days while they tried to save me.”
‘I picked up a pair of clippers, counted to three, and shaved it off. ‘There’s no going back now.’: Woman with hair loss urges ‘your hair doesn’t define you’
“I’d find people to do extensions that weren’t pricey salons. I found myself in people’s homes, mall salons, random back rooms at shops—you name it, I’ve probably been there. It was time to let my hair go.”
‘I’ll never be pretty enough for people to want to be my friend.’ I had to face my hair loss.’: Woman shares journey with alopecia
“I felt like I had no identity other than being the weird bald girl. Every time I looked in the mirror, I was disappointed with what I saw.”
‘I ran my fingers over the bald spots on my head. My eyebrow hairs were falling out, too.’: Lupus warrior says ‘I am so much stronger than I knew I could be’
“He looked over my file and said, ‘I got good news and bad news.’ I spent the next 7 months in and out of the hospital. I’d wake up with a swollen face, legs, hands. The pain was unbearable.”
