Aurora's Story

I am not the type of person who holds back what they feel. I say what I want when I want to say it, and no one can stop me. But I have not always been that way.

When I was about six years old I began to pull out my eyelashes. Why I did it was a mystery to all. Was it because I always wanted to make a wish? Or was it just because I was such a perfectionist that the stress just made me pull out it out? I didn't know, but I was not concerned until I began to pull out my hair about a year later. Now my family and I both panicked, for the bald spots began to reveal more than just my scalp. They revealed my problem and my pain. No one knew why I did it, no one knew how to cure it, but worst of all no one else did it. I was alone, with a "disease" that no one else had.

Although I was young, and I faced more obstacles than most adolescents are faced with, I was not going to take them lying down. I was ready to fight. With my friends, family and devoted counselor at my side I began the most spiritual awakening. The first thing I learned was not to let my "disease" define who I was. I was Aurora, I played soccer, basketball, swimming and volleyball, I was a straight "A" student, who happened to wear a hat all the time. I never introduced myself as "Aurora, the hair puller", and I never will. I made my personality outshine my bald head. Since I never pitied myself no one else pitied me; they would treat me as if I were a normal child, and I was.

>When I was about nine, my mom finally learned about the Trichotillomania Learning Center. It was with the help of this center that I met the most magnificent people I had ever met. They were people who were always laughing; they were people who would embrace everyday with a smile. They had persevered through the toughest of times and became stronger because of it. Every year I would return to these amazing women, and every year they would not only inspire me to work harder at my hair, but also at life. I cherished every moment I spent with those enriched souls. They helped me to become the confident young woman that I am today, and I owe them so much.