Joey Logano has Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune disease, but isn't worried about it

LewTheShoe

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Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition that attacks hair follicles. It's fairly common, afflicting about 6.8 million people in the U.S. Joey Logano has discovered that he is one of them after undergoing tests in the last few weeks. He is rapidly developing bald patches on the back of his head. There are no other health problems or symptoms from the disease, per the Jordan Bianchi article in The Athletic.

Joey thought about shaving his head, but then decided a better route would be to try to raise awareness of the condition by being openly unashamed of it. It's easy for him compared to many others... a school kid who's being taunted and bullied, or a woman for example. So at the playoff media scrum today in Las Vegas, Joey wore no hat and brought the subject up with Bianchi (and maybe others for all I know).

Coincidentally, September is Alopecia Areata Awareness Month.

I'm not surprised that the civic-minded Logano would seek to turn his personal misfortune into a positive for others. That seems entirely consistent with his personality. But he has plenty of haters (fueled mainly by jealousy, I believe) so I wonder if they with turn this into something negative?
 
You know what's crazy?

Joey and I share a birthday, a mere two years apart. I had an autoimmune disease last summer (some risidual effects still), called Guillian Barre Syndrome. The onset is usually a faulty immune response to a virus, where instead of the virus being attacked, the nervous system is. In my case, my immune system attacked my nerves instead of the Epstein Barr virus.

The result was a night in the ER, 3 nights of declining health in the hospital, and then respiratory failure and intubation..a med flight to Boston.. and head to toe paralysis and 3 months in the hospital before learning to breath, stand and walk again. I still have a bit of fatigue and neuropathy in my feet, but I've recovered back my old lifestyle of work, graduate school, and now apartment hunting with the lady.

Guillian Barre, that autoimmune disease will always be a part of me now.

Kudos for Joey for spreading awareness. Interesting coincidence that we share a birthday and both have experienced an autoimmune disease.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
You know what's crazy?

Joey and I share a birthday, a mere two years apart. I had an autoimmune disease last summer (some risidual effects still), called Guillian Barre Syndrome. The onset is usually a faulty immune response to a virus, where instead of the virus being attacked, the nervous system is. In my case, my immune system attacked my nerves instead of the Epstein Barr virus.

The result was a night in the ER, 3 nights of declining health in the hospital, and then respiratory failure and intubation..a med flight to Boston.. and head to toe paralysis and 3 months in the hospital before learning to breath, stand and walk again. I still have a bit of fatigue and neuropathy in my feet, but I've recovered back my old lifestyle of work, graduate school, and now apartment hunting with the lady.

Guillian Barre, that autoimmune disease will always be a part of me now.

Kudos for Joey for spreading awareness. Interesting coincidence that we share a birthday and both have experienced an autoimmune disease.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Good God that’s brutal. Even lingering neuropathy can be exhausting, I was on a ton of gabapentin for that when I messed up my sciatic nerve. Can’t imagine going through all that though
 
My first thought was “ewww ... I don’t like Spanish wine.”
Mine was whether the treatment would cause him to huff and puff sometimes.

My second was, at least it isn't diabetes, or heart problems, or brain surgery, or concussions, or any of the other issues many drivers have had the 'opportunity' to bring to the public's attention in recent years.
 
You know what's crazy?

Joey and I share a birthday, a mere two years apart. I had an autoimmune disease last summer (some risidual effects still), called Guillian Barre Syndrome. The onset is usually a faulty immune response to a virus, where instead of the virus being attacked, the nervous system is. In my case, my immune system attacked my nerves instead of the Epstein Barr virus.

The result was a night in the ER, 3 nights of declining health in the hospital, and then respiratory failure and intubation..a med flight to Boston.. and head to toe paralysis and 3 months in the hospital before learning to breath, stand and walk again. I still have a bit of fatigue and neuropathy in my feet, but I've recovered back my old lifestyle of work, graduate school, and now apartment hunting with the lady.

Guillian Barre, that autoimmune disease will always be a part of me now.

Kudos for Joey for spreading awareness. Interesting coincidence that we share a birthday and both have experienced an autoimmune disease.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

:eek: Daaaammmmmnnnnn! Are you ok now? Scary stuff you got there.
 
Just the other day I was watching an interview with Joey and I noticed that he seemed to have a receding hairline all of the sudden. I guess now we know why.
 
You know what's crazy?

Joey and I share a birthday, a mere two years apart. I had an autoimmune disease last summer (some risidual effects still), called Guillian Barre Syndrome. The onset is usually a faulty immune response to a virus, where instead of the virus being attacked, the nervous system is. In my case, my immune system attacked my nerves instead of the Epstein Barr virus.

The result was a night in the ER, 3 nights of declining health in the hospital, and then respiratory failure and intubation..a med flight to Boston.. and head to toe paralysis and 3 months in the hospital before learning to breath, stand and walk again. I still have a bit of fatigue and neuropathy in my feet, but I've recovered back my old lifestyle of work, graduate school, and now apartment hunting with the lady.

Guillian Barre, that autoimmune disease will always be a part of me now.

Kudos for Joey for spreading awareness. Interesting coincidence that we share a birthday and both have experienced an autoimmune disease.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Wow. You have been through the wringer. I'm glad you have a handle on it now. I have an auto-immune disease but nothing as brutal as that. Mine is under control with meds for the rest of my life.
 
Good God that’s brutal. Even lingering neuropathy can be exhausting, I was on a ton of gabapentin for that when I messed up my sciatic nerve. Can’t imagine going through all that though
I HATED gabapentin and couldn't get off of it soon enough. Couldn't stand the spacy feeling, and weening off of it was a challenge too.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
:eek: Daaaammmmmnnnnn! Are you ok now? Scary stuff you got there.
Everyone who has it recovers. It was just a long journey. Fatigue, a bit of occasional *very mild* weakness, and neuropathy in my feet are all that is left.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Well this explains why hes balding so young .. good on him to use it to create a positive.. hes good like that.
Some of us bald early I'm a year younger then Joey and have lost a ton of my hair.
 
A hundred years earlier in medicine and this thread wouldn't be here! We are all fortunate indeed to be here at this time in history.
We seem to take modern medicine in stride, but it hasn't been here long.
Yes it comes high priced, but worth every penny.
Betsy
 
yeah that reminds me

What do you call a company that replants fields of grass using cropduster airplanes?

A re-seeding airline.
 
Joey's receding hairline is not related to Alopecia Areata. It's coincidental. The autoimmune condition is causing rapid onset of blotchy hairless patches on the back of his head. It's in the OP... reading is your friend..:oops:
Yeah because there is absolutely no chance whatsoever that the two be related :rolleyes:
 
I’ve had two people in my life with alopecia, a grown woman and a young boy. The only thing in common was a life changing event that brought on a severe anxiety/ stress reaction. Can only wonder if Joey has had a similar experience.
 
You know what's crazy?

Joey and I share a birthday, a mere two years apart. I had an autoimmune disease last summer (some risidual effects still), called Guillian Barre Syndrome. The onset is usually a faulty immune response to a virus, where instead of the virus being attacked, the nervous system is. In my case, my immune system attacked my nerves instead of the Epstein Barr virus.

The result was a night in the ER, 3 nights of declining health in the hospital, and then respiratory failure and intubation..a med flight to Boston.. and head to toe paralysis and 3 months in the hospital before learning to breath, stand and walk again. I still have a bit of fatigue and neuropathy in my feet, but I've recovered back my old lifestyle of work, graduate school, and now apartment hunting with the lady.

Guillian Barre, that autoimmune disease will always be a part of me now.

Kudos for Joey for spreading awareness. Interesting coincidence that we share a birthday and both have experienced an autoimmune disease.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


My dad had Guillian Barre as well, he was lucky and tough enough to recover, many folks don't
 
My dad had Guillian Barre as well, he was lucky and tough enough to recover, many folks don't
I'm sorry to hear that. Can I ask how long it took him to recover? A LOT of folks make a full recovery, but you are right, many don't. I was on another forum for the GBS foundation, and there was a lot of people still in wheel chairs etc.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Glad to see he is embracing it instead of being ashamed of it , good for him .
 
I'm sorry to hear that. Can I ask how long it took him to recover? A LOT of folks make a full recovery, but you are right, many don't. I was on another forum for the GBS foundation, and there was a lot of people still in wheel chairs etc.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


He was about 55, he never fully recovered, a man about 19 was in the same hospital, he passed away from lung issues. My dad could still work and stuff but he was about half the man he was before he got ill. If you are getting around, you are lucky, keep exercising, it helps
 
I inquired on BING (I don't use the big one anymore) about GBS. Says it's possible to get it from a flu shot.
Also says 4 to 12 cases per million folks. So small chance but really can be a disastrous disease.
We wish him lots of luck.
Betsy
 
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