[BEHIND THE GOOD] Meet Abby Asistio of Alopecia Philippines

From a small luncheon to a much larger organization today, Abby has taught self-love to those struggling with Alopecia

If you’ve never heard of alopecia, it is an autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s hair follicles, leading to hair loss. Depending on the variant, alopecia can affect either just the scalp or the entire body. 

Abby Asistio has been living with alopecia since she was four years old. Having alopecia areata universalis – a variant of alopecia that hits hair follicles on the scalp and the entire body – at a very young age, she struggled not only with bullying from her classmates, but also battled self-doubt. 

Growing up, Abby did not have a support group outside her family and friends. This motivated her 2012 self to publicly share her story as a rising singer-songwriter. After that event, Abby actively joined meet-ups with women who share the same struggle with the disease, forming a small group that has opened up to each other about their experiences. Since then, Abby’s built a community, both online and in real life, that supports and empowers individuals living with alopecia. What drives her to continue her advocacy to this day? We look into Abby’s journey and the story of Alopecia Philippines through photos in this episode of Behind the Good. 

Stay tuned for more episodes of “Behind the Good,” Rappler’s new video series featuring changemakers who have gone above and beyond to help and empower their communities. – Rappler.com