My teenager hairs are going to college! + Emails from blog-finders

I know it's been a long time since my last update, but that's because it has been going so well that there's not a whole lot to talk about. No missing patches, YES!! Like I said last time, it is still overall thinner than it should be, and I am still losing what is far more than normal in each shower (that I still stick to the wall and examine closely-I can't get over how fascinating it is, especially the exclamation point hairs) but I'm so used to it being thinner now that it really doesn't matter much.

Oh, and my teenager hairs are going to college!!! [in the photo above, I'm holding out the same hairs as in the photo from Nov. 16th] They have been growing so fast, and have finally started to blend back into the rest of my hair. No more getting wild, curling and being rebellious; they've matured a little, haha

I decided a few months ago to try and grow my hair out long again, as you can see. It's been over 8 years since I had it long in college before I cut it short. I loved it short, and it being shorter definitely looked better when I was missing so much of it...but now that it's been so much better, I figured why not? I'm going to see if it'll all stick around for enough time that I can have long hair when I get married next year, and do something fun with it. : )

If not, though, no big deal. I don't worry about it like I used to. Having Alopecia is just something that is a part of who I am, and I have come to fully accept that. Even though the possibility of losing a lot or all of my hair again in the future is always there, it doesn't weigh so heavily on my mind these days. I won't say that I will not be bummed if/when it starts to come out again; of course I would be. But to tell you the truth, there are lots of days where I don't even think about it at all.

I love my mostly-full head of hair, and I'm going to just enjoy it while it's here instead of worrying about when it won't be.

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On another note, I have received several emails from people since I've started this, (both men and women - my age, younger, and older), who are dealing with their own Alopecia adventures. They are strangers, who have come across my blog while searching the web for information on Alopecia Areata. They have all opened up about what they are going through, their worries, their stresses about it, and how hard it has been for them. I have been told that reading about my experiences and seeing how I've been able to keep my chin up and maintain positivity though it all has really helped and inspired them to do the same.

The latest email of this sort popped up in my inbox today.

I can't even begin to say how great of a feeling this is. I have just been dealing with the whole thing in the best way I know how, and to have complete strangers tell me that I have been an inspiration to them is really flattering beyond words. To think that a blog I started to help myself cope and keep my family updated has made an impact on the lives of people I've never met, who live in all parts of the world, is really an amazing thing. Going through something like this, especially in the very beginning, can be a very isolating feeling. I am so happy to be able to help even just one person feel a little less alone in their battle with Alopecia, even if it's only through words on a screen coming from a thousand miles away.