Meet the local woman whose alopecia journey has gone national
McKenna Reitz is inspiring people everyday through social media — just by being herself.
TOLEDO, Ohio — “It was a life-changing moment.”
McKenna Reitz wears many hats: teacher and volleyball coach at Springfield Schools, TEDx motivational speaker, and mother of two daughters.
Those are all things that are part of what makes her who she is, but in August 2015, life brought her a new challenge — one that didn’t involve high-energy on the court.
“As a female, we subconsciously always identify with our hair. And I felt as though every strand of hair that was falling out of my head, my identity was being ripped away from me. And within three weeks, all of my hair was gone,” said Reitz.
What followed was a very difficult time in her life. After treatments to slow her hair loss proved ineffective, Reitz wondered how she would be able to continue with her dream of being a teacher and coach — but without the thick locks people often identified her with.
Reitz recalls avoiding family photos and even being upset with her husband, who reminded her that it’s just hair.
“Looking back, I’m glad the band aid was ripped off quickly, because it allowed me to find the silver linings that much quicker,” Reitz explained.
So what has she learned from this experience?
“We have to be able to give ourselves a grace period — when we are battling anything.”
And now, Reitz is taking people’s assumptions of her being sick or in the midst of a struggle, and using it as an opportunity to educate — and help people uncover their true strength. Most recently making the trip to Los Angeles, where today, she’ll appear on The Jennifer Hudson Show to share her story with the rest of America.
“It was an incredible experience. Over the past three years, my goal has been to make my story worldwide. It was to, yes, bring awareness to alopecia — but it’s more so to show people that we can get through anything,” Reitz expressed.
She says that the journey to getting her story to a national audience was one that took time — and a whole lotta work.
“I’ve been slowly building up, you know, getting my story out there from local to regional to national news,” she explained. “Everyone asks ‘Was it scary?’, ‘Were you nervous?’ No, because this is where I’m meant to be and I was made for this.”
To see McKenna’s interview, check your local listings. As for what’s next, this May, Reitz will be hosting a leadership conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Toledo.
Be sure to give her a follow on social media for updates:
