Red Light, Heart to Heart

Hello Friends!

This week has been full of busy things with school, and we are finally down to the two week countdown for the semester! Amidst all of the stress of finals, it is refreshing to have an experience that makes you step back and appreciate the good things in life.

Tonight, on my way home from school with a classmate, Daniela, I had the greatest thing happen to me! I was at a red light in Arlington, and a woman rolled down her window to get my attention. Lucky for me, my air conditioning is broken in my car, and my window was already down- so her attempt was successful! When I first saw her I noticed she was wearing a scarf, and the first thing she said to me was, "You are so brave!" She was amazed that I was out and about with a bare head, and no wig. She was such a beautiful woman, with a stunning face, but she shared with me (while thankfully at the longest red light in history) that she can't stand to see herself in the mirror anymore. She was diagnosed with breast cancer this year and lost her hair less than 8 weeks ago, so this is still very new for her. We joked about how uncomfortable it is to wear a wig this time of year, and she opened up to tell me that she was afraid she wouldn't every re-marry because she has lost her hair. We had such a wonderful conversation, which ended with both of us in tears, because everything she said meant so much to me. Anyone who has the strength to not only endure, but defeat cancer is a hero in my book- and that is exactly what she is.... a true hero.

It is moments like this that remind me of why I want to become Miss Delaware. My platform may deal with Alopecia but I can relate to so many women, men and children across America who have lost their hair from chemotherapy, Alopecia, or even stress and old age! :) Just as I told the woman in the navy Nissan tonight, God would not give you anything that you cannot handle. And the best thing you can do is look yourself in the mirror and say, "You are beautiful!" It might be difficult at first, but I promise it will be worth it. If you can love yourself, and embrace whatever it is that makes you unique, I believe you can overcome anything.

I am so thankful that God allowed me to meet her and I am even more thankful that Daniela was in the car to wipe my tears of joy away as I was driving my manual Ford Focus ;)

Have a wonderful night, and before you go to bed I think you should do exactly what I tell my students to do- go look at yourself in the mirror with your makeup off, in your oversized PJ's with your lime green retainer in and tell yourself you look beautiful :)

5 comments:

  1. Good luck on finals! And if I think I know you correctly, you are not going to survive the Summer temps without Air Condition.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this story! What a great one. I get stopped all of the time in public places by random people quite often, as I do not leave the house wearing wigs or hats etc... I enjoy my bare head and the life I lead with it!
    Take care and all the best to you in your endeavors.

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  3. I am reading this in tears! I'm 29 and turning 30 in April. That's hard enough as it is turning 30 BUT I have this huge fear that I just might be bald by 30 also. I too have Alopecia Areta. I first noticed maybe in Sept. It first started out with a few small patches and now multiple patches that are getting larger. At this point they are all hidden by the hair that I still have but I am unable to put my hair up otherwise it is very noticeable. I don't know if my hair will grow back or if I will lose it all. It is so hard. I feel like no one knows what it is and I didn't even know what it was till it happened to me. When I found you, you give me hope and you understand. There are days I'm depressed and don't wanna leave the house. Really at this point my alopecia isn't noticeable, BUT I know. It's such a strange feeling losing your hair that only one who has lost their hair would understand. Thank you for using the platform that you have been given to speak out. Thank you. You are stunningly beautiful without hair and I pray if I do lose mine I can have the confidence that you do! I seriously have a bit of hope tonite. Thank you!

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  4. Great post! I do not have hair loss but I love wearing wigs, and am dedicated to de-stigmatizing them through my blog/videos/photography as well as raise awareness of hair loss issues. It's stunning people don't know more about alopecia or other forms of hair loss when so many people suffer from it - your voice is desperately needed to give men and women hope and happiness. Thanks for all that you do!

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