Women Are the Wind Beneath My Wings – My Alopecia Story Update

Last Tuesday morning my commute to “work” was quite unusual. Driving with windows down, under billowing palm trees with humid sea water oozing in my windows, on a busy five lane highway, I found myself in the midst of Florida traffic on my way to one of the world’s best medical facilities – the Mayo Clinic. Not only did salty sea dew drops enter my airways, but a hope for answers to a current health crisis I had been living with for a year. Comfortable asking for help in the medical field because of my family connections, I approached the beautiful medical campus with my personal Physician Assistant by my side, my son Thomas, an orthopedic surgical PA from another top notch medical facility, HHS – Hospital for Special Surgery, based in New York City.

Excitement grew knowing I would visit with six specialists and have blood drawn in this high end clinic. My Upstate doctors didn’t suggest I go for second opinions but I knew I needed to move on with my life as a busy woman entrepreneur. I needed to ensure I had all the answers and latest medical advice to deal with this unexpected chapter in my life and return to living and working. The warm, bright sunshine led me straight to the parking garage and into the pristine complex of buildings with personable staff and highly educated doctors. If I couldn’t find my answers here, I wouldn’t find them anywhere.

As I continue with this blog post, I direct it to my members, friends and followers who are interested in the discoveries I learned at the Mayo Clinic last week to update them.

* My condition truly is an autoimmune condition called Alopecia Universalis with no other contributing factors. All five experts gave me a clean bill of health telling me except for my “baldness”, I’m quite healthy.

*My liver, which has suffered from years of Prednisone, is getting healthier which means if I decide, I can try one more round of steroids to try to grow my hair back if my liver is monitored through the treatment. Good news since my local doctors warned me to not go on them again. I’m trusting the expert advice of one of the best liver transplant doctors (a female at that) to proceed with steroids if I choose.

The decision that faces me now is whether I take another 6 week or 3 month supply of steroids which will increase cataracts, add another ten pounds of weight and potentially hurt my liver, and take me away from my public events again to regrow my hair? It is a difficult decision and one I’m not certain of taking quite yet. What would you do?

Life hands us unexpected difficulties which can pause our direction and challenge our confidence. Lessons learned along the journey opens us up to new ways of thinking and reprioritizing life and career. I know I am not done with this health challenge completely although I feel stronger each day in my new identity. I can’t simply wish to return to who I used to be but rather to accept who I am and move forward. I also hope women entrepreneurs who are faced with business challenges, aren’t afraid to seek expert advice to aid their decisions. We all need educated wisdom in our entrepreneurial and personal lives.