It was just after my first birthday when my hair started falling out, so alopecia has always been part of my story.  I’ve never really hidden my alopecia at all, and I’ve had everything from patches that I could cover up, to patches that I could not, to being totally bald and missing an eyebrow.  It changes all the time.  The thing Mum noticed when I was little is that many people assumed I was sick, and they were kind, but they didn’t understand what it was. 

And now I am in Grade 6 at a large school, where we don’t know everyone in our year level, so again, lots of people don’t understand.  Having alopecia in that environment means it sometimes sparks some interesting questions from people, like, “why is your head patchy?”  I’m happy to tell them the answer so more people can know about alopecia and stuff but sometimes it’s a bit intimidating, especially at the start of the year in a new class because there are so many people who don’t know about it so you get lots of questions.

That’s what I love about learning the cello and being in the orchestra.   It’s just that there’s a group of people who are the same every year, so you get to know everybody really well, so I feel comfortable there, and alopecia is not a thing – it doesn’t really matter. I’m mixing with other people who are not in my class so the knowledge of alopecia spreads into the school a bit more, and it’s better when people know.  I also just really love playing.  It makes me feel calm and free.  Music’s just like that. 

I hope this sponsorship means more people can understand alopecia, and maybe help out, so more kids like me can get support.  So thank you AAAF for helping me continue to play the cello!

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Alex was a part of our sponsorship program – you can also participate! Go here to learn more https://aaaf.org.au/sponsorship-program