Gessie M. Perez
Hi, my name is Gessie!
At the age of 11, I began pulling out my hair, and a few years later I also started plucking my eyebrows excessively. When my mom started searching for answers as to what we were dealing with, we eventually learned there was a name for it: trichotillomania, a compulsive disorder classified as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB). Repeated pulling led to hair loss, and as a consequence, my formative years were largely spent living in shame and secrecy, feeling alone and isolated.
At 16 years old, I attended a national conference for people with BFRBs. Meeting others for the first time who understood and shared my suffering was life changing. This was the catalyst to me finally pivoting my shame and reaching deep self-love. I came out of hiding and started sharing my story, first with my inner circle of family and friends, then even further on public media platforms. Over the years, I have experienced everything from having patchy bald spots, long full hair, wearing wigs and hairpieces, short pixie cuts, to even shaving my head completely bald. I have not had any eyebrows for nearly seven years. Yet I believe that recovery is a journey, not a destination, and focus on progress, not perfection. More than any growth of my hair, I have experienced tremendous personal growth, and have achieved so many things beyond my wildest dreams.
In addition to trichotillomania, I also live with bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. I don't think there should be any shame in saying that, and I hope that by sharing my story I can challenge some of the stigma around mental health that unfortunately still persists in our society. As such, I am very passionate about advocating for mental health and BFRBs, and I want to help as many people as I can. Although life with mental illness isn't easy, in a way I am actually thankful for having these conditions, because they've allowed me to find my voice and have given me a platform to connect with others.
At the age of 11, I began pulling out my hair, and a few years later I also started plucking my eyebrows excessively. When my mom started searching for answers as to what we were dealing with, we eventually learned there was a name for it: trichotillomania, a compulsive disorder classified as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB). Repeated pulling led to hair loss, and as a consequence, my formative years were largely spent living in shame and secrecy, feeling alone and isolated.
At 16 years old, I attended a national conference for people with BFRBs. Meeting others for the first time who understood and shared my suffering was life changing. This was the catalyst to me finally pivoting my shame and reaching deep self-love. I came out of hiding and started sharing my story, first with my inner circle of family and friends, then even further on public media platforms. Over the years, I have experienced everything from having patchy bald spots, long full hair, wearing wigs and hairpieces, short pixie cuts, to even shaving my head completely bald. I have not had any eyebrows for nearly seven years. Yet I believe that recovery is a journey, not a destination, and focus on progress, not perfection. More than any growth of my hair, I have experienced tremendous personal growth, and have achieved so many things beyond my wildest dreams.
In addition to trichotillomania, I also live with bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. I don't think there should be any shame in saying that, and I hope that by sharing my story I can challenge some of the stigma around mental health that unfortunately still persists in our society. As such, I am very passionate about advocating for mental health and BFRBs, and I want to help as many people as I can. Although life with mental illness isn't easy, in a way I am actually thankful for having these conditions, because they've allowed me to find my voice and have given me a platform to connect with others.
Of course I am a multifaceted individual who is not solely defined by diagnoses, so here is a bit more about who I am as a person beyond my conditions.
I am a dog mama to a 5 year old Chinese Crested named Princess. I also have four other dogs I live with who are my family's dogs, and two pet turtles. I have two older sisters and a younger brother, and I am a proud aunt to my niece and two nephews. I am engaged to my loving fiancé Richard.
Upon graduating high school in 2016, I attempted to attend community college, but it quickly became apparent both how debilitating my disabilities were, as well as how inaccessible college is for someone like me.
I subsequently dropped out after only two weeks. I eventually started a volunteer position at my church teaching religious education classes for first graders. I stayed in this role for six years and it was there that I found my calling in life to be working with youth. I went on to work in various child care and education jobs in different settings. Since 2019, I have worked as a direct support professional for children with developmental disabilities, including autism and cerebral palsy, providing in-home care and supporting their independence by teaching life skills. I absolutely love my jobs!
Religiously, I grew up Catholic. I got involved in the community and appreciated some aspects of the faith, but still always felt like something was missing. As a young adult I somehow found my way to the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakerism. In more recent years, I have been led even deeper, to the end that I now fully identify as Quaker. Quakers/Friends believe in the Light of God/Spirit in everyone, and I truly believe that my God-given gifts allow me to lift up others in the BFRB community. Over time, I've come to find that my trichotillomania journey is actually deeply spiritual in nature as well.
One of my favorite joys in my life is traveling. I realize that that sounds somewhat privileged, but it's something that is so important to me that I make every effort to make it happen as much as my life allows. Not only is it always fascinating exploring new places, but I love the sense of freedom and independence I experience, especially on the many solo trips I've taken. Some of my favorite places I have visited include Miami Beach, Rhode Island, and many different parts of California. I have not done much international travel as of yet, other than Canada and the Dominican Republic two times each. However I have a "bucket list" goal of visiting all 50 U.S. states, and so far I'm at 30!
I have a knack for writing, and use that as a force to promote mental health advocacy. I have contributed to quite a few media outlets, which you can find here. In September 2022, I published two books about trichotillomania: a memoir titled Triumphant Trichster, and a kids book titled A Trichy Situation. You can purchase them here. I hope my writing inspires others towards a path of healing and discovery.
My favorite foods are pizza, bagels, and Mexican style cuisine. Soda is a guilty pleasure, just as much as I appreciate a good chai latte. I enjoy baking - though I rarely actually do it, but my specialties are banana bread and my original recipe pumpkin cookies. Turtles have always been my favorite animal, though I also feel a strong connection to the symbolism of transformation that butterflies represent, as you can see throughout my personal branding and design. I have a huge obsession with the TV show Stranger Things. Music is very important to me; many of the moments in my life where I've felt most alive were at concerts of some of my favorite artists, such as Taylor Swift, Bleachers, Lorde, and The 1975. I love fashion, the color pink, and Vera Bradley brand.
Right now, I am navigating my 20s, thriving in my career, and expanding my horizons traveling to new places. My ultimate goal in life is to simply be happy and to have a lasting impact on others. I really do believe I can change the world, and that is exactly what I intend to do. I'm just getting started!
I am a dog mama to a 5 year old Chinese Crested named Princess. I also have four other dogs I live with who are my family's dogs, and two pet turtles. I have two older sisters and a younger brother, and I am a proud aunt to my niece and two nephews. I am engaged to my loving fiancé Richard.
Upon graduating high school in 2016, I attempted to attend community college, but it quickly became apparent both how debilitating my disabilities were, as well as how inaccessible college is for someone like me.
I subsequently dropped out after only two weeks. I eventually started a volunteer position at my church teaching religious education classes for first graders. I stayed in this role for six years and it was there that I found my calling in life to be working with youth. I went on to work in various child care and education jobs in different settings. Since 2019, I have worked as a direct support professional for children with developmental disabilities, including autism and cerebral palsy, providing in-home care and supporting their independence by teaching life skills. I absolutely love my jobs!
Religiously, I grew up Catholic. I got involved in the community and appreciated some aspects of the faith, but still always felt like something was missing. As a young adult I somehow found my way to the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakerism. In more recent years, I have been led even deeper, to the end that I now fully identify as Quaker. Quakers/Friends believe in the Light of God/Spirit in everyone, and I truly believe that my God-given gifts allow me to lift up others in the BFRB community. Over time, I've come to find that my trichotillomania journey is actually deeply spiritual in nature as well.
One of my favorite joys in my life is traveling. I realize that that sounds somewhat privileged, but it's something that is so important to me that I make every effort to make it happen as much as my life allows. Not only is it always fascinating exploring new places, but I love the sense of freedom and independence I experience, especially on the many solo trips I've taken. Some of my favorite places I have visited include Miami Beach, Rhode Island, and many different parts of California. I have not done much international travel as of yet, other than Canada and the Dominican Republic two times each. However I have a "bucket list" goal of visiting all 50 U.S. states, and so far I'm at 30!
I have a knack for writing, and use that as a force to promote mental health advocacy. I have contributed to quite a few media outlets, which you can find here. In September 2022, I published two books about trichotillomania: a memoir titled Triumphant Trichster, and a kids book titled A Trichy Situation. You can purchase them here. I hope my writing inspires others towards a path of healing and discovery.
My favorite foods are pizza, bagels, and Mexican style cuisine. Soda is a guilty pleasure, just as much as I appreciate a good chai latte. I enjoy baking - though I rarely actually do it, but my specialties are banana bread and my original recipe pumpkin cookies. Turtles have always been my favorite animal, though I also feel a strong connection to the symbolism of transformation that butterflies represent, as you can see throughout my personal branding and design. I have a huge obsession with the TV show Stranger Things. Music is very important to me; many of the moments in my life where I've felt most alive were at concerts of some of my favorite artists, such as Taylor Swift, Bleachers, Lorde, and The 1975. I love fashion, the color pink, and Vera Bradley brand.
Right now, I am navigating my 20s, thriving in my career, and expanding my horizons traveling to new places. My ultimate goal in life is to simply be happy and to have a lasting impact on others. I really do believe I can change the world, and that is exactly what I intend to do. I'm just getting started!
