As we go through life we all have dates that are fixed in our minds — some happy, some sad.

December 1997 for me is one of those sad dates — my Alopecia was discovered by my hairdresser. April 1998 is another - I had my head shaved and was fitted for my first wig.
Those of us suffering from Alopecia know what it’s like — we are told “how lucky we are that our hair loss is not as a result of chemo” — this we know!! The medical profession assure us that we are as “healthy as a trout” this we also know! We have visited doctors/hospitals/tried all the alternative treatments (including “quacks”) and we are still suffering from Alopecia.

What people don’t know is that Alopecia is life-changing. Things we took for granted can no longer be taken for granted. Warm sunny days are warmer for us. Cold winter days are also uncomfortable when central heating can make us feel like we’re in a sauna! Despite the above we tend to pop the wigs on the heads, paste on the smiles on our faces and get on with life. October 2010 is another day for me that I will remember, except this time it was a good day. It’s the day I found The Wig Clinic in Athlone, Co. Westmeath and I met Miriam Moylett.

Meeting Miriam I started to learn that wigs can be more interesting — yes you can have “a few blonde streaks”! (I had been wearing the same wigs for years — same style/colour/fit and thought that was my lot). Not so, Miriam started experimenting with my skin tone/shape of my face/size of the wig etc. For the first time since 1998 I had a wig that felt comfortable and as close to “natural” as I was ever going to get.