Letter To the Leaves: Bald is Beautiful

My Fellow Contributors,

You will be happy to know that I have completed 50 frames of my novel. However now that I am at this point it is clear that I am not ready to wrap up the first draft quite yet. I don't want to limit the narratives running through my novel so I am going to keep writing frames until I have fully resolved the conflicts I have created.

This week I want to shed some light on the type of person I am in the hopes that you might better appreciate the message I am trying to convey to you, my Fellow Contributors, with this magazine and my blogs. And being that this blog is my soapbox, I wanted to give you a personal story so that the next time you are feeling down, you have something to read that leaves you saying someone is here with me and understands what I am going through.

When I was two  years old I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder called Alopecia Areata Universalis. This disorder changes the body's immune system and causes the victim's hair to fall out all over their body. I don't have hair on my arms, legs, head or face. I don't even have hair in my ears or nose. There is nothing medically wrong with me other than that my hair doesn't grow.

Growing up was interesting to say the least. You can imagine what a challenge facing my classmates in elementary and middle school was with patches of hair missing (It wasn't until 8th grade that I decided to shave my head and go bald. My hair has not grown back since). I can still remember all the questions everyone would ask me:

Are you sick?

Did you know you look like Powder?

Do you have cancer?


It wasn't until I went to college that I discovered the one thing that had made me feel like an outcast, was what made me beautiful, unique...Bermuda.

Being bald is what gives me character.


My loving Mom deserves a lot of credit (and thanks and love) because she took the time to educated my teachers and classmates about my disorder. She supported me and told me that just because someone is different doesn't make them bad or ugly or any less deserving of respect.

And when Nick, Slick,  Jack and I started this magazine it was this ideal that became the re-bar of our foundation. That different is not bad or any less deserving of respect.

Being different is building the HOOVER DAM.

Bering different is landing on the MOON.

Being different is ending SEGREGATION.

Being different is accepting GAY MARRIAGE

Being different is electing a CATHOLIC or BLACK for president.

Being different makes AMERICA great.


Not being able to grow hair on my arms, legs, head and face has made me more aware of the inner uniqueness each of us possess with our voice.

There is a story behind each of us. A story waiting for words to express it.

I dare you to share yours.




As Always

Undoubtedly Yours,

Bermuda the Man






P.S.

If you know anyone with Alopecia Areata or you yourself have it, please email me at

Bermuda.Editor@gmail.com

I would love to answer  your questions and provide support in anyway I can.

For more information on Alopecia Areata please click the following link, NAAF