|
Speech for Putt for Ponytails Alopecia Fundraiser
If I asked you to imagine your life without any body hair, you might expect to have a cold head at times, prone to sunburn, eyes and nose, unprotected by lashes and fine hairs to filter the air, but would you be able to feel the overwhelming loss of self esteem and confidence that comes with this disease? How is it that hair can hold this kind of power over us? It is not nearly a life-threatening condition, and yet, the first question women facing breast cancer treatments ask is “When will I lose my hair?” I suppose you could blame it on our society, a culture of image-crazed self-centered clones of the latest celebrities. But as much as I’d like to do that, I suspect that one’s hair touches a deeper spot in the psyche. Speaking from my own experience, I can tell you that you do not feel whole when you first lose your hair. You have lost a body part that may not be considered terribly functional, but its role is somehow mighty. Having a bad-hair day is certainly no match for having a no-hair day! Although this disease strikes people of every age, I suspect it is a lot easier when it happens, like it did to me, as an adult with supportive family, friends and a solid sense of self to provide the foundation for understanding and eventually accepting this life-changing condition. However, the selfishness and utter insensitivity of childhood could understandingly turn a difficult situation into an unbearable one. My heart first goes out to the children who have this challenge confronting them. And then, my heart goes out to their parents. Often times, it is they who suffer the most. This past June, I went to the 21st Annual National Alopecia Areata Conference, which was held in Minneapolis, MN. As in past years, much to my delight, I saw scads of happy children, making new friends as they ran off to the local zoo or museum. They danced in large circles, bald heads, some with flowers and pets painted on them, bobbing up and down to the rhythmic music and skipping along, arms linked together, exchanging e-mail addresses and getting teary-eyed when they it was time to say good bye. But then, this is a very different world – one of unspoken compassion and acceptance - a world of smiles and laughter rather than suspicion and pity. Wouldn’t we wish this for all people all the time? Researchers have agreed that alopecia is multi-causal. Many individuals can point to an extremely stressful event in their life, such as a traumatic accident or the death of a loved one, that could have served as a trigger for the autoimmune system to kick into overdrive. This then further causes one’s white blood cells to attack their hair follicles severely limiting or stopping all hair growth. Genetics may also predispose one to having this disease. My trigger was having my first baby at age 36 and going through 3 days of labor, an emergency C-section and a week-long stay in the hospital for deep vein blood clots in my legs. The first spots of smooth scalp appeared a year later and within 6 months, all of my hair had fallen out. In as much as I am a cup-is-half full-type of person, I’d like to tell you about the silver lining that revealed itself to me because of this experience. For the past 6 years I have been nurturing a business that allows me to meet interesting new people who have alopecia, share my compassion and my perspective to help them reach an acceptance level that will enable them to live happily. My business is called New Life Hair because that is the feeling I had when I put on my first vacuum hairpiece. I would have never pictured myself in sales, but then, I really don’t believe that is my motivation. Restoring self-esteem is more the issue and there is no better feeling than seeing the return of a whole person. Blooming personalities, postural changes and tone of voice all serve to remind me of the importance of feeling good about oneself. For whatever reason, hair can provide that feeling quicker than anything else. Just think back to the last time you looked at yourself in a mirror and how you felt about your reflection. Of course there are other ways of finding self esteem other than liking the way you look in hair. Some choose to not hide the fact that they are hairless, but others don’t relish the attention it gets. I see different attitudes at various ages and they all can work if they are honest responses. I have talked with some amazing children who have wisely said they’d rather go bald than wear a wig because if someone doesn’t want to be their friend it is their loss. The same goes for singles in a dating situation: better to find out early if a date’s motives are superficial. I have found that true love supercedes the loss of one’s hair. In the case of men with alopecia, most of them are quite comfortable with being bald especially when it is the current fashion to shave the head. For many in the working world though, one’s appearance can leave an impression that is just as important as what they are trying to communicate. For all of these reasons, I feel we cannot ignore the importance of hair. Alopecia areata research thus far has yielded mixed results with long-term re-growth eluding us, but the hope it brings is vitally important, and is crucial to living one’s life to the fullest is the acceptance of the reality of this disease and finding a way to live happily despite it. I was once conflicted over these seemingly opposite sides of the fence, but now I see them as dualities that can co-exist with each other. For myself and many others, acceptance comes in the form of wearing a wig – but not just any wig. One that is so natural that it becomes a part of you. The self-esteem this brings is immeasurable; I have found that it is how one judges oneself that most profoundly affects the outcome of countless decisions, relationships and career choices. And it goes on and on as one’s life touches so many others. Through the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, your donation will bring invaluable information and support to those young and old who so vitally need it. Together, we can lock in another puzzle piece to this auto-immune disease. Your generosity and new-found knowledge tonight will provide the acceptance and your caring, the compassion that we all need to prosper in this world. Thank you. Now, it is my pleasure to introduce my husband of 34 years - a Grammy Award winner and co-founder of the Ides of March and Survivor. He has written fifteen top 10 hits including the quadruple platinum rock anthem from Rocky III, Eye of the Tiger - musician/singer/songwriter and human being extraordinaire, Jim Peterik!
|
Hi everyone, my name is Karen Peterik and I’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to be here with the rest of us who care about making a difference in one of life’s many mysteries: the causes of and cures for hair loss. This is my second year as a guest speaker for this wonderful event and I would graciously like to thank the Naughton family for inviting me back. Many of you that were with us last year at the Seven Bridges Golf Club for the first inaugural Putt Fore Ponytails NAAF fundraiser are aware that we are united tonight because of a little know auto-immune skin disease called alopecia areata. I happen to have this disease as does young Maddie Naughton. When and why we each got it, and how it will present itself in our lives, no one can answer – yet.