"TLC has changed my life in countless ways. The most important I think is that because of TLC, no matter how bad I feel sometimes, I know I am not alone in this. I give to TLC because each newsletter, each announcement, reminds me I have a whole family of people who understand."

Amanda
New York, NY

"When I first began pulling the hair from my head, more than 30 years ago, there wasn't a doctor in my hometown in Iowa who knew why I was pulling. My parents didn't take me to a therapist. I assume back then, no therapist would have been able to help me anyway. I added the pulling of my eyelashes and eyebrows when I was about 12 years old. No one tried to help me. Kids and siblings made fun of me. My parents didn't know what to do. I didn't know what was wrong with me."

"I found out about Trich from a pamphlet on a table at the student health center where I went to college. I remember being so excited to find there is a NAME for what I have and there are other people who do it. I had never met anyone else who pulled. I am sorry to say this, but it felt so good to know I wasn't alone. I wasn't weird. And there were resources available to help me stop pulling!"

"Since I found that pamphlet, I have stopped pulling the hair from my head. I have gone to a weekend gathering that TLC held. And doctors and counselors have heard of Trich and for those who didn't know what it was, I made sure to pass on the information I had."

"I donate to the TLC organization to help pay for the research, weekend workshops, etc., so that TLC can get the word out to doctors, therapists, counselors, parents, siblings, and those who suffer from Trich. It's my way of helping the resources that I didn't have when I began pulling."

"Thank you, TLC!!"

Darcy
San Diego, CA

"I have decided to stop expecting someone else "out there" to find answers and to take personal responsibility to find answers. Not just answers for myself, but for others and future generations. Taking responsibility to find answers can be accomplished in many ways, including sharing your experiences with others, contributing to public awareness and giving financially. By joining and giving to the TLC, you are contributing to our best chance (as of today) for adequate Trich research. So far, adequate Trich research does not exist and here's the bottom line: I (and we) deserve and need research funds."

"Currently there are around 2000 members in TLC. Imagine the difference TLC could make if this number grew to 10,000 or even 20,000 members."

"Thank you!"

Julie Dillon
Denver, CO
Hair Puller since 12 years old
Trichotillomania Learning Center Member
Denver Trichotillomania Support Group Coordinator

"I don't have to look back very far to find myself alone with trich and thinking that I was the 'only one.' I don't have to look very deep to find the scars that feeling alienated, misunderstood, weird, and out of control that having trich contributed to. I don't have to have a good memory to recall the many times I wished for just one other person to understand, to meet just one other person who pulled out their hair. And I don't have to do any long searches to find a doctor who knows little to nothing about trichotillomania, even today."

"If it weren't for the TLC, I would still be alone with my disorder, and blaming myself. The Trichotillomania Learning Center is our support beam. Without it, we would just be so much chatter. They provide direction, resources, education, public education, medical research, and support to thousands. Before the TLC, trichotillomania was just a long word that you might find in the dusty corner of some medical journal. They have brought it to the public as well as to the medical community's attention."

"Without the TLC, I truly believe we would have no voice. They are our advocates in the public and medical arena, and with out them, very few people would find out that they too are not alone."

"Please give and give generously."

Brenda Coolidge
Ravensdale, Washington

"A couple of years ago, I took a close look at where my annual charitable donations were going, and the difference they made in others' lives, and redeployed some of it from my alma mater to TLC. The trich community has made such a difference in my life, and it makes me feel like I'm contributing -- just a little -- to give some back."

Serena
Seattle, Washington