Kaynahn Burk has become accustomed to all the stares, whispers and questions.
For Burk, a senior at College Heights Christian School, those moments are simply part of her personal journey of living with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
Living with alopecia hasn’t been easy, but Burk doesn’t attempt to hide her condition. Instead, Burk is on a mission to spread awareness about alopecia, with hopes that expanded research will one day produce a cure.
“I almost think the alopecia has been like a blessing in disguise,” Burk said. “God’s allowed me to not have hair so I can show other people that it’s okay not to have hair. I don’t need to look at the world’s standards and not feel confident in myself because I don’t have hair.”
According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), the condition affects as many as 6.8 million people in the United States and 147 million people worldwide.
Those with alopecia are otherwise healthy, but suffer sudden hair loss after the immune system attacks healthy hair follicles. People of all ages from both sexes and all ethnic groups can develop alopecia, and it often first appears during childhood.
There is currently no cure for alopecia, so once you have it, you have it for life. According to the NAAF, many people with alopecia suffer from depression, anxiety, anger and embarrassment due to the condition.
September is Alopecia Awareness Month, and Burk and the College Heights Christian volleyball team are doing their part to get the word out.
“Everyone’s wearing blue to spread alopecia awareness,” Burk said of Tuesday’s home volleyball match. “It’s just a cool thing to do to help spread the word about what alopecia is.”
Burk is also doing a personal fundraiser.
“We are selling shirts that I designed,” Burk said. “They are comfort colors and they’re $20. And 100 percent of that is going to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. It’s all about funding research for a cure. I hope people help spread awareness. People can also donate to the NAAF themselves or people can also hold other events like ours.”
For those interested, Burk’s T-shirts can be purchased here: http://useyourdifference.org.
Burk wasn’t even a year old when she was diagnosed with alopecia.
“I was only 10 months old when I lost my hair,” she said. “Before that, I had ITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura). It’s a condition where your blood doesn’t clot. I was supposed to die. The doctors didn’t think I would make it. My parents went to their church and prayed and not long after that, I was completely healed. The doctors still can’t explain that.
“But a month later I started losing my hair,” she continued. “They thought it could have been due to all the stress my body had been through with all the shots and treatments and everything. The hair didn’t grow back. We think all of that earlier treatment could have caused my alopecia, but we’re not completely sure.”
Growing up with alopecia hasn’t always been easy for Burk.
“It’s been tough at times, but I’ve learned a lot of valuable things from it,” Burk said of everyday life with a bald head. “There are constant questions and people staring. I have been bullied a few times. It has been hard at times, but I’ve also learned a lot. God has been so good to me. I’ve been blessed.”
Burk has excelled in multiple extracurricular activities. She’s been a key performer for the successful College Heights volleyball and basketball teams the past several years. Burk is a defensive specialist for the CHC volleyball team and a guard on the basketball squad.
The daughter of Tanya and Travis Burk, Kaynahn has also earned two state titles at 115 pounds at the annual Missouri State Powerlifting Championships.
“I give God 100 percent glory for everything he’s done in my life,” Burk said. “And my family and friends have always been really supportive and I’m grateful for that.”
While she’s become accustomed to life without hair, Burk admits she would love to see the day when a cure for alopecia is found.
“A cure would be great,” Burk said. “It would be so cool to someday have hair. Honestly, it would be really cool. I know other people who have alopecia, and I think it would be so cool if they could one day have hair and experience what it’s like. Even though that’s not where my confidence comes from, it would be cool to have that experience of having hair. I don’t know what it’s like.”
Until a cure becomes available, Burk will continue to spread awareness about alopecia.
And if a cure never comes, Burk is determined to not let the condition negatively impact the journey called life.
“My confidence comes from Jesus Christ,” she said. “Whenever I look at scripture and it tells me I’m beautifully and wonderfully made, I can trust in that. It’s okay to be different. You can still be beautiful.”
LEARN MORE: For more information, visit the National Alopecia Areata Awareness Foundation website https://www.naaf.org/.
