JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — VFL and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Josh Dobbs is opening up about what his life has been like living with alopecia, and hopes to inspire others with his story.
In an interview with NIH MedlinePlus magazine, the Tennessee grad and alopecia areata advocate spoke about his personal experiences with the hair loss condition, and shed some light on what young people growing up with it endure.
"You do live in a society that is filled with social media and a focus on beauty. But at the end of the day, if you are comfortable in your own skin—whether you have long hair or no hair—you can be successful and happy," he said.
After being diagnosed with alopecia areata in third grade, Dobbs went through several rounds of medical procedures to help grow his hair back. He said topical creams worked until his sophomore year in high school, when his hair got patchy again. He turned to cortisone shots to combat the hair loss, but by the time he was in college he lost his eyelashes and eyebrows as they became less effective.
By the time he took the field for his junior year Neyland Stadium, he decided to shave his head.
"I was a high-profile football player and quarterback at the University of Tennessee - my alopecia experience was very public," Dobbs told the magazine. "There was a fun and playful side with supportive fans."
Sometimes though, his role of the field meant dealing with jeers from the opposing team.
"Some opposing fans and players would try to impact my play with taunts about my hair loss," Dobbs told the magazine.
But it was during his time at the University of Tennessee when Dobbs realized he could inspire others. Dobbs was introduced to a child with alopecia from a small town in Tennessee who had seen him play on TV. That child was home-schooled and, his mom told Dobbs in private, never wanted to leave the house without a hat on his head and struggled to make friends.
When the two met for the first time, Dobbs said, they were both wearing hats.
"When I took my hat off, I will never forget how wide his eyes got and how big his smile was," Dobbs recounted to the magazine. "He had never met anyone else with alopecia."
Once Dobbs eventually made his way into the upper echelons of the NFL as a quarterback with the Steelers, that confidence in advocacy he fostered at the University of Tennessee helped him connect with other athletes who also had the condition.
"About a year ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with former NBA player Charlie Villanueva...he has such a positive outlook," Dobbs said. "His core message, which i try to share, resonated with me: "I have alopecia. Alopecia doesn't have me."
And since then, Dobbs outlook on life has only become more positive as he continues to inspire others living with the condition and looks forward to the future.
"The future is bright, both on and off the field. I look forward to continuing to grow as an NFL quarterback and getting more playing time. And I look forward to advancing in my aerospace engineering work," Dobbs said.
You can read Josh Dobbs' full interview with MedlinePlus Magazine here.