By Laura Schober

 

At the 2026 Come Together Conference in July, CANAAF was presented with a $6,620 donation in support of those affected by alopecia areata and future research initiatives. Behind this generous donation were CANAAF community members Hetal Peshavaria and Nimisha Patel, who organized the Alopecia Awareness Fundraiser to bring their local community together, support people living with alopecia areata, and raise funds for research. Both are mothers of daughters living with the autoimmune disease. 

For Hetal, alopecia areata has been a part of her family’s life for more than a decade. Her daughter, Shivani, now 18, was just five when she was diagnosed. Nimisha’s daughter, Naya, now 22, was nine years old when she first began experiencing symptoms, while her twin sister, Reeya, began experiencing hair loss at age 20.

Hetal and Nimisha were first introduced by a mutual connection – Nimisha’s brother-in-law, Rakesh Patel – who knew that their daughters were facing similar experiences with alopecia areata. After their daughters’ diagnoses, Hetal and Nimisha sought out treatments while also searching for support groups and resources that would help their daughters better cope with an unpredictable and difficult-to-manage disease.

“We hit it off right away,” said Hetal. “We both come from the same [South Asian] culture and understood what it was like for our daughters to go through something that impacts their self-image and confidence. We instantly felt a sense of belonging, kinship, and sisterhood.” 

“In India, hair is associated with beauty and belonging,” said Nimisha. “With that shared understanding, we had some comfort knowing where each person was coming from.” 

“I think people assume that alopecia areata is just a hair thing, but they don’t understand the other impacts of it and how it affects the day-to-day lives of anyone going through it,” said Hetal.

As their connection and friendship grew over the years, Hetal reached out to Nimisha earlier this year with the idea of organizing a local fundraising event for those impacted by alopecia areata. Hetal had already been using Instagram as a platform to raise awareness about alopecia areata and had previously organized a successful alopecia areata fundraiser in the UK in 2024. 

Nimisha was immediately on board, and with the help of their daughters and their wider network in the South Asian community, their vision came to life on June 27th, when more than 125 attendees attended the Alopecia Awareness Fundraiser at Seen Kitchen and Lounge in Woodbridge, Ontario. With 100% of the event proceeds supporting the alopecia areata community and future research initiatives, the evening featured a raffle, music, and speeches by Nimisha, Hetal, Reeya, Naya, and Shivani, who shared facts about alopecia areata and their personal experiences with it. Guest DJs Vicious, Adam F, and Z103.5 FM’s DJ Danny D kept the dance floor going late into the evening with a mix of Top 40 hits, while Bryan “Rammy” Ramsammy hosted the event. In total, the fundraiser raised more than $7,500, with $6,620 donated to CANAAF.

Both Hetal and Nimisha say their daughters have reached a point in their journeys where they are comfortable being vocal about what they’re going through. 

“My daughter, for the very first time in front of a group that large, actually took her wig off,” said Hetal. “She had never done that before. Both of us, as moms, are seeing that our girls are at a point where they are ready to embrace it and educate others.”

Following the event’s success, Nimisha and Hetal hope to make the fundraiser a regular event and continue building a community where people impacted by alopecia areata can connect and share their unique experiences. Plans are already underway for next year’s fundraising event, which is tentatively scheduled for May 29th, 2027.

“When my daughter began navigating the challenges of alopecia, CANAAF gave us something we desperately needed – a community where they could feel seen, understood, and less alone, and where I could find support as a parent,” said Hetal. “Over the years, that support has given our family the strength and inspiration to move from navigating this autoimmune condition to becoming advocates by raising awareness for other families walking the same path. We are incredibly grateful, and it gives us so much joy to be able to give back to the community that gave us so much.”