Alopecia Areata 

I was 15 years old and getting ready for our annual student shabbaton, the highlight of the school year in Bais Yaakov of Baltimore. My friend Chaya was in middle of blow-drying my hair — which she did almost every week—when she stopped suddenly.

“Rivka, did you know you have a small bald spot at the back of your head?”

I shrugged her off. “Nah, it’s always been there.”

Chaya frowned. “I’ve been doing your hair for years and it has not always been there.”