Ketki Jani Alopecia survivor winning beauty pageant real life inspiring story

It will leave you thinking when you read about courageous Ketki Jani Alopecia survivor real life inspiring story

In our society, being a bald woman is a joke, needless to say, a cruel one. Given that barely a few per cent of bald people choose to have their heads shaven off. The rest struggle to accept the fact and spend time, money, and efforts to prevent it from happening. But there could be some exceptions under the woman. Ketki Jani is one of them. Today you will read how

So, today we at storyofsouls will be going to share the journey of how Ketki lost all her hairs to a medical condition known as alopecia. Then onwards becoming the first alopecia patient to make it to Mrs India International beauty pageant and win a title.

I am Ketaki Jani, an Ahmedabad-born and Pune based government employee and a mother of two. She lost her hair at the age of forty in a matter of one and a half months; going from a lady next door to the bald lady, “people would make fun of because of my bald head.”

Ketki Jani was leading a healthy life like other family women, and everything was great. But then one day, she woke up to find a huge bald spot on her head, with massive hair falling out on the pillow. Shocked and panicked, she visited the doctor only to learn that the condition that she was suffering from is untreatable. In no time did she realized that nobody can do anything now. Alopecia removes every single strand of hair from her entire body.

Even after losing her hair, the treatment has to start. Doctors gave a series of consultations, medicines, and steroids to Ketki each day for two and a half years. She slipped into depression but decided to come out of it. After that, she accepted the truth and decided to embrace her baldness. Before she walks in society with dignity, despite all the burning questions, she agreed to herself that “Yes, I am bald but have a beautiful heart,” which is beyond looks. Acceptance wasn’t easy at all; she used to cry the whole day. Yes admitted she was afraid to move out and even never looked at the mirror ever again.

It was my daughter who told me that, “mom you are beautiful as before, and it didn’t matter what society thinks of you”. After that, she decided to accept what had happened and the only way is to move on in life. She stopped taking steroids, which had side-effects on her kidneys in the long run and decided to shed-off her scarf and step out of her home with her beautiful face and shiny bald head. Let there be shine within.

It wasn’t easy at first, of course, since she had people coming up to her and asking if she had cancer or suffering from some other deadly disease. Few even went on to tell her that she has lost meaning and charm of her life. There was nothing left in the world for a bald woman. Further, they made her realize that its a curse for the wrong deeds she may have done. Some even asked her is she a widow! Ketki could feel unwanted sympathy and non-acceptance in society. Often, passer-by made fun of her condition.

Then she has promised to self that she will accept what fate had thrown at her. After that, she decided to went through the painful procedure of getting my head tattooed, fulfilling her long-pending desire to have a tattoo.

She recalls how she chose my head to have a tattoo. God had given me a canvas, and to make it more beautiful was my responsibility.

The tattoo helped her win back the confidence that she had lost. It made her condition look more like a fashion statement. It was then she saw the Facebook page for the Mrs India pageant, and immediately applied to it. The rest they say is history.  

The show’s judges complimented her, from whom she learned that going bald out of choice was a fashion in Paris and other European countries. Therefore, she had an equal chance as any other participant, hair, or no hair, that doesnt matter much.

More than five years down the line, she is the first participant with alopecia to have made it to the finals of the Mrs India Worldwide finale. She wins the title of Mrs Inspirational, which people say is well-deserved.

Including her, we all, too, felt that she is the right candidate to win the title of ‘Mrs Inspiration’. When the pageant winner placed the crown on her head, the previous crown holder saluted her for her bravery and acknowledged Keti’s inner beauty and courage.

As we spoke with her in her words: “I can tell out of my personal experience is that it doesn’t matter if you fit in the social standards of beauty or not, since all that matters, in the end, is whether or not you believe in yourself, and your inner beauty.”

Ketki Quotes: “If you love yourself, you won’t ever be bothered about whether or not society loves you, and that is how you conquer the world.”

For all those who want to know what Alopecia areata is – It is a skin disease which is auto-immune. The most general trait is hair loss from the scalp, face, and other body parts as well.  In our own country, Alopecia affects close to  1+Million people each year. The people, mostly in the age group of 19-40, are affected. Also, the disease can affect anyone from both sexes.