Rocking the Chrome Dome, Lydia’s Story (Oklahoma City/Norman Portrait Photographer)
There are so many words to describe this young lady. Her very wise and loving Nonna described her as funny, loyal, caring, strong, smart, forgiving, supportive, full of grace...but my favorite was this: Even though she is outwardly beautiful, her inner beauty shines brightest. I could not agree more. When I found out about Lydia's journey with Alopecia and observed just how confident and strong she was, I knew we had to get together for this shoot. Her story needed to be told in hopes of bringing awareness, hope and help to others. Thank you Lydia for sharing your story...you are an inspiration to many! At what age did you start noticing symptoms/hair loss? I was about 8 years old when my mom first noticed 2-3 quarter sized patches on my head. She took me to my pediatrician and I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata (AA) right then and there. We decided to not do treatment because of how young I was and how unnoticeable the spots were. After a few years my hair grew back in. Alopecia is a funny thing to me. The easiest way for me to think/explain how Alopecia functions and this is the way I explain it to most who ask, especially to children, is that my body thinks my hair is “bad” and attacks it, which in result can cause it to fall out! Who has helped you the most throughout the years? Jesus and my loved ones. Knowing who I am in God’s eyes and my worth in His truth has really kept me out of many dark pits I could have so easily fallen into. He created every single person in His image, I just think that [...]