A group of university climbers have rallied to support their club president after she suffered sudden hair loss - and all had their heads shaved. Nina Hatton-Perkins, 20, was diagnosed with alopeica after finding bald spots across her scalp and waking up 'covered in hair' she had shed.
After channelling her shame, frustration and anger into climbing, the biology student organised a fundraising head-shave with another climber to raise awareness of the debilitating condition. To Nina's surprise, seven other teammates took the stand with her and shaved their heads to raise money and awareness for Alopecia UK.
Nina, who studies at the University of East Anglia (UEA), Norfolk, said: "When I first started finding bald spots I went to the GP in floods of tears. My mum drove all the way from Derby and I spent a week at home crying constantly. It was really bad.
“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.”
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition where immune cells gather and attack hair follicles, stopping them from producing more hair. It affects 100,000 in the UK of varying ages with no cure and can severely impact mental health.
The UEA climbing club team, which Nina is president of, hopes the £1,050 raised can contribute to charity Alopecia UK's work of fighting the stigma against the condition. Nina said: "I thought only one member would join me in the head shave but 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.
"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.”
Nina now feels able to focus on the final year of her degree again thanks to the support of her teammates. Joe Magrath, a climbing club member who shaved his head 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 suffering 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.” To donate to their JustGiving page click here.
