I see this tall (6ft 6inches to be exact) middle aged, bald, easy on the eyes man and I think to myself does this guy have cancer? He must, he is bald, no eye lashes, no eye brows, no hair anywhere from what I can see. I debate do I go up to him and ask him if he has cancer? I walk up and asked him just that and he looked at me almost as if I had bothered him and said, no. I'm almost in shock thinking to myself then what does he have. He told me it was Alopecia and goes on to explain to me what it is. I was so intrigued by him I asked him if I could sit down with him and ask him some questions about Alopecia. Surprisingly he says yes.
Alopecia Areata Universalis (also know as AA) is a medical condition involving rapid hair loss from head to toe. It is the most severe form of AA. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself, in this case, the hair follicles.
Barry Coon was born with Alopecia Areata Universalis. He had a very supportive and loving family growing up. Barry tried all methods known to help with AA including creams, shampoos, and steroid shots. When nothing would work he did what most people would do and bought a wig. All of Barry's friends in high school encouraged him not to wear the wig and to be who he is. So he did just that. His friends helped build his confidence by accepting him for who he really was. From that day on Barry never tried to hide that he had AA. In fact his hair grew back for one year in college and he would shave it off.
Barry is not one to make a fuss over having AA. His wife said," I think he feels like it was a hurdle, he's over it, now move on". Barry did just that.
To the medical field this is a disease but to Barry this is just something he mastered as a youth. Barry did not let AA hold him back, in fact it pushed him to be out spoken and an attention grabber.
Barry Coon is a husband, a father (to two beautiful girls), and a firefighter who loves to help people. If he could offer advice to someone with Alopecia he would tell them that hair doesn't make a person. It's plain to see that Barry is a strong person and isn't going to let AA dictate his life. He says," It is what it is".
I'm so glad I got the chance to meet Barry. I never knew there was such a thing called Alopecia. I always thought that if someone was bald head to toe it meant they had cancer. It reminded me to never judge a book by it's cover. I think we all need to be reminded of that every once in a while. Barry says,"I'm just an ordinary man living an ordinary life" but what he doesn't know is others (including myself) may not think he is JUST ordinary.
