Comment by Ken on May 22, 2013 at 8:52am

I was at a Taco Bell recently, sat down to eat, and was approached by a man who just wanted to tell me how much I reminded him of his son - ok, wait for it - he's going through chemotherapy. What an odd thing to tell a stranger, I don't really feel like eating tacos now.

Comment by Modern Monarch on May 22, 2013 at 9:54am

Haha I've had several times like those! like how inconsiderate can people be?! one time I was eating at McDonald's and I made eye contact with a guy that was sitting in the booth in front of me and he said, "Hey, I was thinking about shaving my head in support!" I was like, "in support of what?" (I knew he was thinking cancer, I just wanted him to feel stupid) It just aggravates me how some people act sometimes!

Comment by Ken on May 22, 2013 at 10:08am

I know what you mean. You can see people processing your baldness in their head, and I almost want to blurt out I don't have cancer! I also have a supportive family, but in a strange way...My dad will do the opposite and approach other bald people in public and ask them if they have alopecia. Sometimes he'll tell me he saw someone I used to go to school with and he'll be so excited to tell me that they are bald too and I should get together with them. He also thinks "cueball" is appropriate.

Comment by Modern Monarch on May 22, 2013 at 1:33pm

That's exactly what I want to do every time I catch people staring blankly at me! and haha ya my dad is kind of the same way. He just doesn't really talk about it much anymore, which helps. The only people that really, truly understand what we go through is ourselves, the ones with the disease.. But other than the constant judgements from others, Alopecia really isn't that bad, especially if you have the full form of it when you have no hair at all.

Comment by Kate on May 26, 2013 at 2:41am

I used to get wound up about the cancer comments, especially when people look disappointed when you tell them you don't have cancer and I end up feeling guilty for being bald and not having cancer. It doesn't bother me so much anymore and I've got used to explaining over and over again that I actually hav alopecia and my hair all fell out for no reason whatsoever. I decided it's probably not their fault. Theres so much media about cancer (with the standard model cancer patient looking a lot like us) that people see us and thats what they see. Theres just no publicity surrounding alopecia and even when I explain to people what I have, most have never heard of it. I don't think I knew much about it before it happened to me so I probably would've looked a bald person and assumed they were having chemo. I feel that explaining to people, rather than getting upset or annoyed is probably going to help in the long run as we're helping to spread information to people that due to the lack of media and government support, will otherwise remain ignorant to our condition.
Still, I'm always baffled at what to say when cancer suffers approach me to "share their situation"

Comment by Alliegator on May 30, 2013 at 10:57am

Me too! Sometimes I want to wear a shirt when I go bald that says "I don't have cancer". I had a coworker say to me when she first saw me bald..."I know you are going through chemotherapy". I said "no, I'm not". It made me upset that she said "I know", because she didn't know at all. I just remind myself that some people are ignorant.

Comment by Kate on May 30, 2013 at 3:49pm

!!!

Comment by Alliegator on June 3, 2013 at 3:10pm

I like it, Kate! think I need to get one.

Comment by Lyndsi on November 17, 2013 at 1:45am

I love that shirt!!! One time I was walking across campus to the library and a girl was blatantly staring at more for a good 30 seconds before she asked me if I had breast cancer and when I found out. But I agree with what Kate said, most people are ignorant to the disease. I had no idea what it was when I was diagnosed, but I thought maybe I vaguely remembered that Michelle's horse on Full House had it (or maybe I made that up in my mind)... anyway, I also feel guilty when cancer patients stop me and ask how my treatment is going. It's almost like I'm an imposter, but I don't mean to be!! :)

Comment by Vernell Murray on November 16, 2018 at 1:35pm

Where can I get a Tee Shirt...great idea...Mine would go a step further; I Have Alopecia...

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