लोगों को सीखा रही हूं गंजेपन के साथ जीना

Advances in technology, advances in education, advances in infrastructure, advances in medicines, yet no guaranteed cure for some disorders. One such disorder is Alopecia.Meet  Ketaki Jani, an Alopecia patient who fought back for her life and is a leading example for all the alopecia patients and all the women.In life, we come to a halt sometimes. However, that doesn’t mean our lives have stopped. We have to move ahead and let the time come after us.  And this is exactly what Ketaki has done.She had a blissful life with family. All of a sudden, her life was shattered with fast hair loss. She felt as if her life has devastated. Alopecia had targeted her. This is a disorder where hair is completely lost and the temporary medicine is steroids.Ketaki had gone numb. She had no clue what was happening to her life. Her hair loss to which there was no cure had been dreadful for her.Moreover, facing the society was difficult. A woman with a bald head is not accepted by our society. She was questioned by people: is it cancer? A visit to Tirupati Balaji?Ketaki was feeling devastated. And it seemed like moving out of the house was impossible. For three long years, she stopped talking to people. Think about what had happened to her. Cry for her hair loss.Her depression was no longer a depression when one fine day her daughter came up to her and told her that she will get a bald head too, to give her mother a company. Listening to the words of her daughter, Ketaki felt that this is no end to her life. A beautiful tomorrow is waiting for her.She understood that there is no Alopecia cure. Her hair loss has no cure. There is no treatment to her hair loss. And then she decided to let go everything and live her life on her own terms and dignity.

Ketaki silenced the society with awe. She would roam around freely and boldly without any scarf or wig. And more importantly, her family never let her feel bad about anything which gave her the boost to face the world.She says that her husband, two kids and her two pet dogs are the only reasons why she stands high today. They were the only ones who loved her immensely even after her baldness. Their love didn’t change for her with her hair loss and that is why she feels blessed for having such supportive family.Ms Jani always wanted to have a tattoo on her body and she realised that now she has such a beautiful canvas of baldness, why not to have a tattoo there. So, she tattooed her bald head making it looks extremely cool.Ketaki then participated in various beauty contests and won prestigious positions being the finalist. She even participated in Mrs India Worldwide where in the finals; she was given a comment by the seasoned actress Zeenat Aman who said:Ketaki doesn’t consider her baldness from Alopecia as a disorder to death which other patients suffering from the same disorder are doing. Many Alopecia patients have committed suicide. Some have been harassed by their own families and some are killed by the society.Where do we live? In hell? No. We live on such a beautiful motherland where there is goodness for everything. Then why we have to answer the society? It is the great time when our society needs to be awakened.

Ketaki conveys her message to the families of Alopecia patients: “This is the phase of their life where they will need you the most. Don’t leave them midway. Walk with them in their journey to make them feel that you are there for them to stay. Give them positivity rather than discouraging them from life.”She wants to ask all the people: “Alopecia patients are well treated all over the world, but why do the Alopecia patients of India have to suffer in the four walls of the house?”Another message she has for the society who thinks Alopecia patients are some different creatures: “Alopecia patients are no different. This is a disorder where only hair is lost. Don’t isolate the people with this disorder. Don’t boycott them. They are the same as you. Is the hair on the head a criterion for differentiating human beings? No.”Ketaki Jani is a Woman of Courage because she challenged her fears. She lived by her dreams. And she has given her life for Alopecians. She wants to eradicate the injustice happening to the alopecians and especially for the women who are neglected and ignored humanly.

(Text Source: www.womenofcourage.in)