I first started losing my hair back in 2005. I was around 25 years old and in what I considered prime dating years. I cut myself off from everyone and everything. Gradually over the course of a few months it was all gone. Any patches that were left I shaved them off. One of my biggest challenges was letting go of the hair I had left, and letting my family and friends in on what I was going through. I suffered in silence for too long. I spent long days and nights crying and grieving over my loss. I thought people would make fun of me or just not understand. Once I decided to let others in things became a little easier. The more I talked about it, the more I wanted to talk about it. Pretty soon I would tell anyone who would listen, I found ways of bringing it up in conversation. I eventually found the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) and signed up to become a support group leader for them. It was great talking to people locally and being able to help and support each other along the way. My advice to anyone going through hair loss is that it’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to feel upset, sad, or however you feel while going through it. It’s also important to talk about it. Find someone or people that you trust and let it out. Also know that hair is only a part of us. It is not who we are. Without it we can still thrive, have healthy friendships and relationships!