“A lot I’m grateful for”: Olympic Star Struggling With Disease Humbles Down On The Internet

Rock Climbing is a sport that inculcates ups and downs, and the national champion in rock climbing, Alannah Yip just realized the same about life as she came face to face with an unfavorable situation. The Canadian Olympic rock climber recently unfolded the story of battling a grave disease that has taken a major toll on her. She opened up about the entire story of this disease on her social media. Yip revealed her struggles and also spoke about everything she is grateful for, even amid this tough situation. 

60% chance that it will work: Alannah Yip on her diagnosis and medication

To inform the world about her illness, the Canadian rock climber, Alannah Yip took to her Instagram account and penned down a heartfelt note about the most difficult time of her life. The competition climbing specialist revealed that she was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. She also talked about how she overcame it with inspiration. Yip started by revealing that her hair started falling out rapidly in December last year and in a month, she had lost the majority of it. 

The Olympic star expressed, “I was almost afraid to touch it. It took a terrifyingly long month to see a dermatologist and get a diagnosis of generalized alopecia areata”. This is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the hair follicles. The Olympic athlete is currently on medication and has shared that there is only a 60% chance it will work. 

Further talking how she has so much to be grateful for, Yip said, “There’s a lot I am grateful for.” She added,” My friends and family have been endlessly supportive and uplifting.” Interestingly, despite such perplexities, she claimed that she is healthy and is still able to climb and train. It was really a time filled with trials and tribulations for her. 

Yip reveals how she got her confidence back 

Alannah Yip revealed the struggles she faced at the initial stage of her ailment. Opening up about it, she revealed, “So many times I stood in front of the bathroom mirror holding fistfuls of my hair, crying and feeling like I was turning inside out”. She also revealed that losing her hair made her feel like she lost herself.

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Expressing herself further, she added, “It took me a long time to truly feel that my hair has nothing to do with who I am as a person”. This made her feel empowered and helped her realize that by shaving her head, she could take control of the narrative. She said that her shaved head ended up making her feel “bada**, not broken”. This Olympic star with a strong mindset picked herself up from a very tough situation and maintained herself with grace. 

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