Hi, my name is Phoebe and I am 31 years young living with alopecia!

My story starts back when I was in Grade 3. I was brushing my hair when I noticed large amounts of hair falling out. When taking a shower, clumps of hair would gather in between my fingers and fill the bottom of the shower. I told Mum and we went to see the family doctor. By this stage, I had started developing 2 large bald spots at the front of my head. The doctor was unsure what was causing my hair to fall out so he referred me to a specialist who diagnosed it as alopecia. It wasn’t long after that I made the decision to cut off my ponytail and shave my head as I knew losing all my hair was bound to happen sooner rather than later. 

We visited the Melbourne Children’s Hospital and tried a few different treatments but nothing seemed to work. 22 years later here I am still bald as a badger but that doesn’t stop me! My hair comes and goes.  Sometimes I get a few patches on my head or my eyebrows or eyelashes grow but that can all change in a blink of an eye and it all falls out again.

One of the most challenging parts of having alopecia and being an active kid when I was growing up was the sweat running into my eyes – gee it stung!! Did you know that one of the reasons for having eyebrows is to absorb sweat so that it doesn’t run into your eyes?  Makes sense hey! I have never let my alopecia get in my way and I am always up for a new challenge or adventure.

One of my latest interests has been playing the guitar, an instrument that I have always wanted to learn.  Who doesn’t want to play and sing along to their favourite tune? I have been lucky enough to receive sponsorship through the Australian Alopecia Areata Foundation providing financial support to cover my guitar lessons.

A MASSIVE THANK YOU to the AAAF for giving me this opportunity to explore a new hobby and giving me a platform to share my story with others. 

Stay tuned for updates on my journey.