 Alopecia is a rare condition among women in Nigeria and because of this, many people are not well informed of this condition. We spoke to Mushudath Badmos who shared her journey with us. I was preparing the service and I went to the salon to wash my hair. I was on drinks day and when I got to the salon, the hairdresser, she had a woman that started washing my hair. I was just separating the dreads and she saw the bald spots. So I just smelled like a coin, a coin chip around my hair. The one session, I teach a family in Yoruba, means I teach you to like strip your hair. I was like, why would I strip my hair? It's like there's a spot here, like a bald shiny spot that showed me. I was like, no, what was the spot? So that day I was scared. I just took a pack of my hair, I told her not to even wash it again. I went to my mom, like I was soaking up in the sun. And my mom was like, this is the ritual. Hello family, hello Wally, you know, like, no, I'm a Nigerian mother. So the entire thing came, did anybody come? Because that was the first thing that came to my mind, like, I can't just disappear. It's something that's always like a problem, you can't just disappear. So what happened? Then I went to come, I went to come for the interview. And when I came back, the spot was still there. So that was when it started for me. And I didn't do anything, it took the spiritual out. Then it was like a month or two after. I just went on my way, I went on my way. And just like, I searched with symptoms. And the signs I saw, the bald spots and all that. And I saw an official. So I told my mom, like, I saw something like an official. Like, what? No, she doesn't feel that way. So I told her I wanted, it's a kind of opinion. Because we've been doing the old spiritual thing. So like, I wanted a medical opinion. So we went to see the doctor and told me it was from the infection. So I was placed on drugs. And I didn't do anything. But my mind kept going back to that picture. Where I was 7-2, there was a health centre in Compound. I went to see the director there too. And he told me the same thing, like, it was from the infection. So I still wasn't convened. I told my dad I wanted, it's a kind of thought opinion. So he took me to his workplace. And I saw the doctor and they used them. And she was the first person I said, look at this, it looks like alopecia. She doesn't even really know much about it. But she was like, she's going to refer me to the maternity clinic in Tansiyapa. So that was a real good thing. So when I got there, that was in, I think around, probably September also. And I saw the nose being charged. They were like, ah, there is no appointment. There's no space I'm really able to see the doctor. The next appointment is going to be in 2016, March. So I told him, like, March came. Like, no, I have to see the doctor because by then I already had, like, a lot of boat boats. Wasn't just one again. I had about five then. So I showed down my head. Like, she should just see it. Like, she wasn't even so... I felt it was something she probably has seen. She wasn't even so confident. She's like, see, there are people with worse conditions than me about that. On the least, I can't do anything. So I begged her, I was in tears. And she was like, okay, she's going to give me December. The space in December, she'll come back in December. Told me it's called very heavy. That the clinic time starts by eight. So I got there seven. I was in. When I got there seven, I met a lot of people already. And when it started giving out numbers, I think the number ended up 25 or so. I think I was like number 29. So they told me, like, I'll make it to the doctor. That she'll come back the next day. So I started crying. Nobody understood what I was crying. And the woman was like, what happened, what? So I told her, like, no, I can't come back in January. Like, I can't come back next year. I have to see doctor today. So I just opened my scalp. And like, I had, like, my hair was like, you know, when... Then they say raps, raps dropped. Then somebody, yeah. So I had a lot of patches. And it was really hot in here. And everybody was like, oh. So they... Not the time then I said, so... Look at people here. People with terrible conditions. What's going on? There's nothing wrong with you. Just go back. I used to see the doctor where he said the doctor. She wasn't even so content. And I just kept on crying. So people begged her. And she gave me a number. So when I saw the dermatologist, she was like, you have alopecia. You're not special. You're just one of the few, unfortunately, ones. So there is no known cause. There's no cure for it. But since you have alopecia reatary, you know, you're going to patient you and the treatment. You're going to take a steroid shot for six months. So the steroid shots, they give you all the bold sports. So I was happy. Like, okay, finally. This is something I can do. So I went to my mom's sister's place then. So when I got to her place, she was like, oh, check on her. I like to come. Like, we should go see all this about you. See what I mean to her about treatment there. So we went there. The lady said, okay, she's going to prepare a move for me and all. I got first half script right here. So that, they are already taking the first steroid shot on their scar. So I told the woman then that, no, I don't want to do the treatment. I would like to complete the steroid shot first. Then I'll come back after six months if it doesn't work. So my mom's sister told my mom that once I get shouting, I couldn't work as I do both together. It's just we're both looking for solution and all that. So she convinced me to like, script up my thing. So I scripted it up and it's my idea about treatment too. But after scripting off my hair and I went for the next shot, it got worse. My S.I. went back. But the sport didn't come back. So after the second shot, by the time I would go back for the third shot, my hair was completely gone. I had no hair. So when the guy wanted to give me the shot, he didn't tell me that, saw me that way. You know, it's like a public health center. So you won't see the same doctor every time. So you didn't understand because normally, it's just get shots on the spot. So you call the hair dermatologist and she was like, what happened? So I went to her like, script up my thing. She shouldn't have scripted it off. Treatment is for partial illness. There's no treatment for total illness. So there's nothing you can do. So I was like, what do we have? So we have seen a whole lot of things and I had to leave. And these things give me a lot of things. Things. It just don't mean to do that. They were going to call me. So they can never do. So that was it for me. And here we are. Moschudat's badmoss and Jazz Minogun's share the most awkward experiences they've had living with alopecia. For me, one of the ridiculous things I've heard about alopecia is when people hacks that. Do you have cancer? Because I feel it should be known that chemotherapy actually causes illness. Yeah. And a lot of people, even, okay, I did a surgery in 2017 and I was in the hospital and people came, nurses, and assumed that I was a cancer patient. Just because. Because to me, it's very ridiculous because you guys are in the line. They should know better. Exactly. Because actually, cancer does not lead to hair loss. What leads to hair loss is the chemo treatment. And for survivors, they grow their hair back. Because what chemo does is it kills the cells. And you know, in the process of killing the cells, it kills the hair follicle as well. So at that point, the victim lose his or her hair. But after the chemo phase, once they survive that cancer phase, their hair grow back. So it's a different thing entirely. Alopecia and cancer are not the same. They are too different. That's why sometimes when we do our campaign, we emphasize on the fact that it is not cancer. It is alopecia. No alopecia. So they are two different things. Yeah, one ridiculous thing, right? When one spiritually said, someone took my hair to the ocean. Now my hair is on that. The water, you know. And I tried to sound sarcastic too because it didn't make any sense to me. I'm like, okay, please tell me the person that took my hair to the ocean so that I can beg the person to give me my hair back. Because as it is, it's not useful for the person. And the person is not letting me use my hair. So let's beg the person to let me have my hair back. It's actually funny. Another ridiculous thing is when you tell people, like, you explain to the person, they don't know about you. Oh, God. Besides this alopecia is bad. God, it's like, oh, God, that's bad. So why do you cut your hair? I don't know about that. Yeah, that's fine. Like, it is constant. Like, you do awareness this year now. September is the official awareness month. Yeah. We do awareness. You guys, we're telling you so much about it. And next year, you're like, you've tied this wig. Why did you cut your hair this year? God. Another really close thing is, in fact, this one has been coming non-stop. During the interview I had with BBC PG last year, I mentioned how my relationship failed, how the wedding introduction got called off three days to the wedding introduction by my supposed mother-in-law. And you won't believe the kind of messages that I've been receiving. Random men coming around, asking for my hand in marriage, just like that, from nowhere. You don't know me. You don't know anything about me. And I'll be like, where is this coming from? I saw your interview about your mother-in-law that called off your wedding. I'm like, what kind of loud? The interview was not even about marriage. It was about alopecia. So you're not bothered about the awareness I'm creating. You're bothered about marriage. But I didn't come on earth to say, I'm looking for a husband. I didn't say I am not dating or I'm not in a relationship. So it sounds ridiculous. Like it keeps coming and every time I hear that, I just shake my head like, oh my God, not again. Long or short hair, all women are beautiful. We need to create more awareness surrounding alopecia and eliminate every form of stigmatisation towards those leaving with alopecia.