Long hair had always been part of Chi Nguyễn's identity, so losing it was incredibly hard. They were eventually diagnosed with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes unpredictable hair loss. In 2021, Nguyễn's passion for baking landed them a spot as a contestant on The Great Canadian Baking Show. But just before they started filming the show, their hair started to fall out. A visit to the dermatologist revealed that it was alopecia areata, very likely stress-related.
Watch Hairy Tales on CBC Gem., they had just received a big promotion at work and they were juggling it all with family life. "When I got a call that I got onto the show, I was so excited. It's been, like, my dream for such a long time. But then I started noticing hair on my pillow. I started noticing a lot more hair in the shower drain," said Nguyễ