My name is Carolle, and I have had this condition for over 15 years now. For the most part, with the help of a good hairdresser, I was able to style my hair in a way that it was almost unnoticeable. Unfortunately this past year, the hair loss had advanced so much, that I was no longer able to hide it. With the support of my family, I decided to shave my head. But in doing so, I wanted to help others with this condition. The biggest reason people don’t know about Alopecia, is because, like myself, those who have it, hide it. Be it, by wearing a wig, scarves or for those that still have some hair, they will style it in a way to hide it. For myself, I did not want to make others feel uncomfortable.
My goal is to help those with Alopecia, to feel free and comfortable with showing their bare head, if they wish to. Since this condition is common among children, I want parents to teach their children to look past the bald head, and treat the schoolmate, with Alopecia, like any other child in their class. We are not sick and NO, we are not contagious, we just loose our hair. Remember, this could affect you or your child at any age.
May 28, 2011, I contacted the Alopecia Foundation (CANAAF) and told them of my plans to shave my head and desire to bring awareness to Alopecia Areata. The president of the foundation, Jim Makris, soon contacted me and was very encouraged with my plans. I told him that I wanted to inform the public about this condition, and try to help others like myself with Alopecia Areata. We discussed, the fact that my mother had also had this condition from the time she was a toddler, and of the difficult time she had as a child because of it. It is because of her memory that I felt so strongly about this.
In less than 4 weeks, with the help of family and many friends, a fundraiser dance was organized and held on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Petawawa Lions Club, with all proceeds from the dance going to CANAAF, the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation, based in Mississauga, ON. Response for our efforts was overwhelming. Eleven guests at the dance shaved their heads along with me at the dance, and we managed to raise over $3,000.00 through tickets sales and donations so far.
I would like to invite others affected with Alopecia Areata to contact me and join me in my efforts. If you have Alopecia Areata or know someone that has Alopecia, you can reach me at jcschroeder@xplornet.com, or call me at 613-687-6050
