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What's the deal with your nickname? How did you get it? If your nickname is self-explanatory, then tell everyone when you first started using the internet, and what was the first thing that made you say "wow, this isn't just a place for freaks after all?" Was it a website? Was it an email from a long-lost friend? Go on, spill it.



I come from a family with three generations of breast cancer survivors. I also suffer from Alopecia Areata. My disease came on suddenly and unexpectedly. Literally, one day, my hair began to fall out in large clumps. In just three months I was completely bald. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis, the most extreme case of Alopecia. Being faced with this sudden and unexpected appearance change was a difficult emotional adjustment. We live in an appearance driven culture where baldness produces stares and hurtful comments. Baldness is a physical mark of illness. People react differently to you.

After my initial period of adjustment, I began to explore the options for women who experience medical hair loss. My first reaction was to try and duplicate my hair by wearing a wig. While wigs may be a suitable solution for some women, I found them to be uncomfortable and hot. I wanted to wear something that was fashionable and comfortable. I was disappointed by the selection of scarves available for women with medical hair loss. I designed my own fitted headscarf as a fashionable and comfortable alternative to wearing a wig.

I have lost my hair but not my sense of style. Alopecia handed me an opportunity to help other women cope with their loss of hair in a dignified and stylish manner.