During my first year at university, I had the unpleasant experience of my hair falling out and was diagnosed with Alopecia. It was a difficult few years, being away from home for the first time but it’s a battle where you are struggling with your own self confidence regarding the fact that every time you look in the mirror you look like a bowling ball.

For those who don’t know what Alopecia is, it is an autoimmune disease where your body, for an unclear reason, attacks the cells in your body. In this case it is the hair follicles. This can be limited to just your hair on your scalp or all over your body.

It’s a disease I feel gets over looked as, yes, luckily it is nothing serious but the not knowing of whether you will have hair again and feeling unattractive and self conscious is something I personally would never want anyone to experience. I however have been blessed with having my hair grow back again, but this may not always be the case as it can come back in later years and for millions of others, they are still fighting those struggles today.

As some of you know, I am running 10 miles for the Great South Run in October and would like to raise money to support Alopecia UK. It is safe to say that I am not a runner, the most I have done is 3 miles but I feel this is a challenge that can produce a good cause.

Thank you for taking the time to read and please donate to support those suffering with this rubbish autoimmune disease.

Emilie Varcoe