Tiesha Howell

Hi, my son name Damaris he is 4 , and I never thought I’d be writing something like this. This is the most vulnerable, and humbling thing I’ve ever shared. Over the past months, I’ve been battling severe alopecia. This is not just “hair loss.” It’s waking up every day to handfuls of hair on my pillow, seeing bald spots spread across my scalp, and watching the pieces of myself that made me feel confident and feminine slip away. I got steroid injections in my scalp, only for the hair loss to spread further across the crown of my head and become completely impossible to hide. Extensions could only hide it for so long, and now even those aren’t possible. I’m left with thinning, fragile patches and the reality that I need a wig, not for vanity, but for dignity, for being able to feel normalcy, for the simple ability to feel like myself when I look in the mirror or leave the house, to walk out the door without feeling so exposed. The cost of a high-quality medical wig is overwhelming, around $3,500, and insurance doesn’t cover it because they are considered “cosmetic”. My family and I are already stretched thin financially, and this expense is simply beyond what I can handle on my own, or with my father. That’s why I’m reaching out for help. Any support will go directly toward: • Purchasing a medical-grade wig that looks natural and protects my scalp • Wig care products to help it last Alopecia has taken enough from me, I don’t want it to take my confidence, too. If you can donate, no matter how small, it would mean the world to me. And if you can’t donate, simply sharing this post would help more than you know. Thank you for seeing me, supporting me, and reminding me I don’t have to fight this alone. With love, Damaris