UEA students shave heads to support friend with Alopecia
They've raised over £1000
A society at the UEA has raised more than a thousand pounds for Alopecia UK by shaving their heads.
Members of the University of East Anglia's Climbing Society braved the shave in support of their club president, 20-year-old Nina Hatton-Perkins, who's been diagnosed with the autoimmune condition, which causes cells from the immune system to gather around hair follicles and attack them, stopping the follicles from producing more hair.
Nina said: “When I first started finding bald spots in my head, I had a panic attack and went to the GP in floods of tears. My mum drove all the way from our hometown Belper in Derby to come and get me, and I spent a week at home crying constantly. It was really bad, but my parents stood by me and were supportive.
“It was really hard seeing my hair come out in the shower, waking up covered in it. All of it was a constant reminder that I was losing hair every day. I think seeing that over and over again gives you so many emotions that you're not necessarily ready to face. I wasn’t ready for it at all - I didn't want anyone to know, and I didn't want to be perceived as different or weird.”
On Wednesday 26th October, Nina and her UEA Climbing club members ran a head-shaving fundraiser for Alopecia UK, a small national charity working to improve the lives of those affected by alopecia:
"I was channelling everything through sport, and that’s when I had this idea to do a head shaving fundraiser. When we came to do the head shaving, I thought that only one of the other members was going do it with me, but then it turned out seven other members joined, and more and more people got involved with it as it was happening. It was really emotional for me; I didn't realise how much people would care.
“Everyone keeps checking up on how I'm doing, emotionally and mentally, and it's such a brilliant thing because I've never really experienced that before, where someone's genuinely interested in your mental health rather than just a quick hello.
"Losing your hair is such a big thing for a woman to have to go through because of society’s pressures and beauty standards. For people to be so genuinely aware of that and supportive, and say it doesn't matter, was great. I feel so much happier as well since I've shaved my hair off.”
With their fundraiser, the club is hoping the money will help find a cure and treatment for the condition.
Joe Magrath, one of UEA Climbing’s club members who shaved his head in solidarity with Nina, said: “I decided to get involved with the head shave event simply to support Nina. She is doing a wonderful job as the president of our club and is incredibly brave for using her own diagnosis to raise awareness for others suffers in the same way.
“I hope that our charity event will spread awareness through the University and pull in more donations for Alopecia UK. I also hope that it will encourage people not only to donate, but to go and learn more about alopecia and hopefully support the charity further.”
Chloe Mills, another member of UEA Climbing at the University, said: “It is a great cause which has affected many people in the UK. When Nina announced she was diagnosed with Alopecia, it was clear that we needed to do something to support the charity and Nina herself. As the climbing club's president, Nina has had a huge impact on everyone in the club, therefore, we needed to support her in this fundraiser.
“By supporting the charity, we are hoping to raise money to help with Alopecia UK’s aims of support, awareness and research, and help people with Alopecia. The head shave gained a lot of support and awareness from others across the University, explaining Nina’s alopecia journey and the effects it has on people’s lives. We hope it helps people across the University struggling with alopecia to know they are not alone and that there are people here to support them.”