When I was three years old, I was diagnosed with alopecia. My mum found a bald spot on the back of my head one night when my wet hair parted after a bath.

Before too long my hair grew back to cover the spot, which my doctor said was a good sign as it proved my hair could regenerate, but then my eyebrows began to thin. Eventually, I lost both my eyebrows and my eyelashes began to fall out too.

I’ve had alopecia now for 7 years. My eyebrow hairs seem to come and go, and I’ve noticed some new eyelashes are starting to form. In the school holidays, I tried the temporary eyebrow tattoos of the AAAF website, which Mum and I thought looked really realistic, but my brother and sister said they preferred me without them! I think that they just weren’t used to seeing me with eyebrows.

One thing you can take for granted when you have eyebrows and eyelashes is their protective functions. Eyelashes keep debris like sand and dust out of your eyes, so my eyes can get easily irritated, and eyebrows can help to stop sweat and water from running into your eyes. This sometimes affects me during surfing and other sport, but it hasn’t stopped me.

I can still do all the things I love, and having alopecia doesn’t make me feel different to anyone, although it makes me look a little different. Sometimes other kids ask me why I don’t have eyebrows, which can hurt my feelings, but once I tell them why and that it’s nothing to worry about, everything is fine.

Having alopecia has its ups and downs. It’s kind of special I guess, because it’s something that not everyone has, but that can also make it feel a little lonely. I’ve never met another person with alopecia but hope that through sharing my story and connecting with the AAAF, I might get the chance.