Victoria recently received a AAAF sponsorship, which she used to take singing lessons. Below she describes the ups and downs of her experience living with Alopecia Areata.
“At the age of 4, I was starting to lose my hair in small patches here and there. This was the first time it ever happened to me. My mum and dad were doing everything they could to help and find out what it was.
When we went to the local doctors, my parents were going to find out what this was all about. They told us that it was called alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease which can affect the hair follicles and cause the hair to fall out. They told us to start putting this special DCP cream on every couple days. Of course, we forgot here and there, and my parents were all like “oh no, shoot!” but they saw it was okay. Eventually my spots started to disappear, one by one, my hair started to grow out of each spot, and it was soon covered entirely.
My parents and I were so relieved to see that it had gone away. (Well at least for now.) What do I mean? Well, while I was in year one, my hair started falling out, AGAIN! I know right! It’s kind of crazy. My hair started falling out in spots. Not fully, just patches like before. We went through the same process as before, just putting on the DCP ointment every few days. And just like before, my hair got better.
Now this time my alopecia was just B R U T A L!!!! This has never happened this bad before. My hair was falling out so much. I was 8 in year 3 at the time. At first it was just like before when my hair fell out in patches. We thought it was going to be like normal but NoOoOoOOOooOooOOoO, it had to be different. My hair all disappeared after a few weeks. All I had left was the tiniest ponytail in the world on the bottom of my head at the back.
Since this was the worst it’s ever been for me, we had to start having visits to the Sydney Children’s Hospital as an outpatient every 5-7 weeks. The nurse even changed the strength of the ointment to help with my hair. It was also so bad that we had to start getting me wigs. My favourite wig was one that looked like my hair before it all came out.
At around December 2020, little sprouts of hair started sticking up and it slowly started growing longer and longer. By halfway through January 2021, my hair sprouts were about the size of a pixie cut, so I decided to cut the rest of my hair off at the back and have a pixie cut. My teachers told me that I was rocking the pixie cut.
Then in June, I turned 10 and my hair started falling out AGAIN!!!!! But this time just in patches as well. This was fine. Now every time one spot gets better, another spot reappears. It keeps on going. I am turning 11 this year and I can’t wait to see what challenges the year brings me. Maybe it’ll be for my alopecia or maybe just fun things will come my way. Anyways, it’s not like I have a crystal ball that will tell me everything about my future, do I?”
Thank you for sharing your story, Victoria!
Do you have Alopecia Areata and are interested in getting sponsored for an activity you love?
We support many through their journeys and we help them achieve their dreams. You can find more details about our sponsorships all through our webpage and social media.
Love, Alopecia 
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