Well, it’s 3:15 AM on a weekend night and I should be working on homework but I found some inspiration somewhere and I know I just need to blog where my mind is pondering; my thoughts are going in a completely different direction than my research paper I’m working on tonight.
Earlier, I was reading a magazine and it had a section on random women’s cancer stories. In a way, I’ve watched my mom go through her own ‘cancer story,’ but at the same time not really.
In 2008 my mom was homeschooling me and my mother’s friend noticed a bald spot on my mom’s head. Worried and scared she made a appointment with our family doctor, and after that a dermatologist. After a quick test at the dermatologists, she was officially diagnosed with alopecia. Though she was never in life ending danger, I tearfully watched her go through life changing challenges.
Personally, as her child it was hard to watch someone you love have a change such as this in their life.
As the young daughter’s perspective – life was hard. Losing your hair isn’t a big deal until you watch a woman do it.
The first time she went wig shopping, I physically got sick after the appointment. I didn’t want to tell or talk to the few friends I had about it. I did not know how to approach the topic with anyone besides immediate family. Most girls go and get their hair done with their moms; I went wig shopping. We hugged, we cried, and we got through it,l. Eventually she overcame it with many prayers and even healing, though the doctors said she’d never heal.
Besides the idea of my mother being completely bald, as an elementary student I had to get use to the thought that because of genetics, I’ll probably face alopecia as well. Last fall my thick blond hair started dramatically thinning. Before this started happening, it took at least half an hour to straighten my hair. Within a matter of weeks, it only took me five minutes to straighten my hair. Thinking I already knew the results, I went to my family doctor and was referred to a dermatologist. My results? At this time in my life I just had hair thinning I was put on a medication to slow it down but several months later I stopped taking it because of the possible long lasting affects the medication would have on my body if I took it for a extensive amount of time. Today my hair is thick, healthy, and occasionally has dye in it.
To this day, I am not looking forward to the day I am told that I’ll be bald for the rest of my life. But I know that if G-d allows this path for me, it will be for a reason and everything will be okay in the end.
Just a few days ago G-d really encouraged me with this. A year ago I was worried I had alopecia, but recently I had the opportunity to pray for a young little girl whose hair is falling out mysteriously. As silly as it sounds, being able to pray with her helped me realize, if I am diagnosed in the future, I will have others in my life who will lay their hands on me and pray for me, just as I did one night with a group of delightful ladies for that precious little girl.
I can’t hold onto something that might not be G-d’s will. I can’t count on having thick hair for the rest of my life; the same way I can’t count on growing up and having a white picked fence and a dog in my yard. I have to grateful for what I’m given – all of the good, bad, and ugly because G-d is with me all the way no matter what happens in this crazy thing called life.
Lama-Leah readers, through the hard times He is teaching you something and there’s always something to be grateful for. Blessings.
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