Victoria Lysaght has lived with alopecia since she was nine years old and finally lost all of her hair in her mid 30s.
‘I remember looking in the mirror sobbing, wondering how I could ever be me without my hair,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.
‘I was teased and bullied at school. My hair grew back in time for high school but unfortunately the damage to my self-esteem had already been done.
‘I lost all of it by my 30s and, as a result, I went through life making mistakes and poor decisions, often giving away my power and allowing others to treat me badly.’
But now the 41-year-old is on a mission to spread self-love and positivity. Starting with herself.
‘I realised how much I had allowed my alopecia to effect my self-esteem over the years and just how much my lack of self-love had negatively impacted my entire life,’ says Victoria.
‘So, I made a decision there and then to focus on the positives of my condition, to celebrate who I was, to remind myself of my strengths and give myself a dose of well over-due self-love.
‘It was like a light going on, my life immediately began to change for the better and the happier and more confident I became.’
Six months ago, Victoria, who works as an illustrator, had a chance encounter with an incredible woman who changed the course of Victoria’s life.
‘It was a normal, rainy Manchester morning and I received a message from a bubbly, energetic lady inquiring about booking one of my “Wonderful Me” doodle workshops.
‘The lady turned out to be the female founder of a women’s running club called Solemother. Curiosity got the better of me, so I signed myself up to the group on Facebook – more to be nosey than to actually run!’
But there was something about the club that struck a chord with Victoria, and she knew she had to give it a try.
‘It didn’t take me long to realise this was a very special running club,’ she explains. ‘Everyone was welcome, whatever your ability or circumstance, and everyone was treated equally.
‘But the main thing that struck me was the supportive, non-competitive vibe.
‘Women were sharing their achievements to inspire and motivate each other and instead of competing, they were cheering each other on, offering nothing but love, respect and admiration for each other.’
But there was one small problem – Victoria didn’t feel at all confident with her running abilities. She had been a strong runner when she was younger, but losing her hair sapped her of her confidence.
‘When I lost my hair in my thirties, my enthusiasm for running had disappeared along with it,’ she says. ‘Running with a wig was hot and uncomfortable, so I had given in to my condition and avoided any exercise that made me too sweaty.’
Despite her reservations, Victoria felt inspired by reading the stories of other women in the group – so she signed up, dusted off her trainers and started running again.
‘It felt so good,’ she says. ‘I could feel a huge improvement in my mental health. I often suffer with stress and anxiety and struggle to relax, but I would come back from a run feeling uplifted and in such a positive place. It has become my meditation.’
In what Victoria calls a ‘moment of madness’, she found herself signing up for the Manchester Half Marathon.
‘The furthest I had ever run was 10k, so a half marathon was a huge jump for me – I was pretty scared.
‘Once I started training for the event, I soon realised that if I was going to complete the race, the wig had to go.
‘So during, one of my morning runs around my local town, I ditched the wig and ran bald for the last 5k. It felt amazing.
‘It was much cooler, much more comfortable and because I was being brave enough to show the world the real me, I felt hugely empowered.’
From then on, there was no looking back for Victoria, and wig-free runs became the norm. She felt incredible being able to embrace her appearance without any embarrassment or shame.
‘I not only received support from the ladies in the club, but from the whole community,’ she says.
‘People helped me reach my sponsorship target in just 24 hours after I shared a photo of myself on Facebook after my first bald run.
‘I received so many comments from others to say how I’d helped to inspire them to be themselves which made me feel so happy.’
Victoria was even more delighted when she received a letter from the Trafford Sports Awards to say she had been nominated for the Changing Lifestyle Award – which she went on to win.
‘When I went up to accept my award, I knew I had to be brave and accept the award as the “real me” so I threw my wig on the table in front of everyone, and marched up to the front!
‘It felt incredible! I now go on to represent Trafford in The Greater Manchester Final on 15 November.’
Earlier this month, Victoria completed the Manchester Half Marathon in 2 hours 20 minutes – completely bald and with the biggest smile on her face.
‘I couldn’t be prouder of what I’ve achieved, but the true satisfaction comes from inspiring others.’
Strong Women
Strong Women is a weekly series that champions diversity in the world of sport and fitness.
A Sport England study found that 40% of women were avoiding physical activity due to a fear of judgement.
But, contrary to the limited images we so often see, women of any age, size, race or ability can be active and enjoy sport and fitness.
We hope that by normalising diverse depictions of women who are fit, strong and love their bodies, we will empower all women to shed their self-consciousness when it comes to getting active.
Each week we talk to women who are redefining what it means to be strong and achieving incredible things.
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